[dgm au drabble]
He found her by the creek he once had went to with his mother to wash their clothes. She was perched on her toes, crouching over the water as if she were going to catch a fish with her tiny hands. She was so small--maybe three years old, he guessed.
"Hey, you!" Her head snapped up in a way that looked more animal than human, and her eyes seemed to agree with that thought. She was only a little girl--she must be scared of him, that's all. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
She narrowed her eyes and chewed on her lip, but gave a minute shake of her head.
The teen smiled kindly and leaned down to her level, putting his bucket on the ground beside him. "I wasn't going to hurt you." He extended his hand out to her, like one would a wild animal--he had always found that children were just as wild as the animals the adults hunted. "Where's your parents? They must be worried sick about you, so far from town."
The toddler didn't respond, just staring at his hand. She looked down at her own hand with a wrinkled forehead and a small frown. Flexing the fingers, she studied the stubby little appendages before looking back his way. He wasn't sure what to make of this, but let his words trail off after realizing she wasn't listening. It took a long moment of silence, but she shifted on her feet and hands towards his offered hand. It looked like she was about to sniff at it like a dog would, but at the last moment, she slipped her hands inside of his.
"Dunno." Her Chinese was garbled and her voice was small, but after a moment he understood the words.
He carefully closed his hand around hers. "You don't know where your parents are?" She shook her head again, looking from their hands to his face, before crawling closer to him. "What town are you from? I'll help you find them, don't worry."
"M'not from any." She licked her lips and stuck her other hand into her mouth, regardless of it being dirty from the ground. Actually, after seeing her up close, the teen could tell she hadn't seen a bath for a while. Her hair was matted and her skin caked with dirt. If she were lost, she'd been lost for a long time.
He paused, taking in her appearance and her mannerisms. "Do you want to help me collect some stuff in these buckets and carry them back to my house?"
"'kay," she nodded hesitantly.
He stood up slowly, and she followed the stance--not letting go of his hand. "I'm collecting them for a school project. We have to build an ecosystem." She followed him along to the shore and when he gave her one of the buckets, she hugged it with her free arm so it wouldn't drag on the ground. "I think my teacher just wants us to make a poster, but I'm going to make a real one." The girl held the bucket as he found rocks and things to put into it. "Do you know what an ecosystem is?"
She shook her head, looking up at him with a clear expression, much different than the wild one from before. In that expression he saw a young girl, who had been alone, but was ready now, to learn about the world.
So he rambled on happily with her listening, and they never let go of each other's hands.
--
The teen took the little girl home to the house that had once held a family. The small home was all he had left of his family, he but he told her stories about them as they walked hand in hand through the gate and up to the door.
They were filthy from scrounging around the creek, but there was no one there to yell at them about tracking mud through the entranceway. It made him feel like a little kid again, before his father became a scientist and brought up from near nothing. Back then, being filthy had been no big deal at all, but now he was supposed to live up to the honor that his father had gained for them. If anyone saw them so filthy, they would gossip about his family--or his lack of family.
It was that thought that led him to start up a bath for them. It was an expensive western-style tub, and one of the few things that hadn't been destroyed when the monsters killed his family.
He still had money. Enough to keep the house and go to school, anyway. He still worked any time he wasn't busy studying or sleeping. He had honor to keep--one of the few things also left from his family. Barely old enough to not just be sent away to the orphanage, it was his job to take care of his family now--even if that "family" was just him.
... And now her too, he decided.
He scrubbed her hair, trying to get the tangles out. "I never asked... What's your name? I'm Komui Lee, head of the Lee family."
She frowned at him, pawing at his hands in her hair. "T'hurts."
"Well, I've got to get you all clean." He sighed, "Do you have a name?"
The girl pouted, but shook her head. "Dun have any name."
"I'll think of a good name then, just for you." He gave up on her hair for the moment and scrubbed at her face instead.
"'Kay..." She sighed, scrunching up her face to keep the soap from getting in her eyes. "Ow." She pawed at his hand.
"What? I was just..." Komui frowned at what he had found underneath the matted locks. "What.. happened to your ear?" Because it wasn't an ear. It didn't look like any ear he had ever seen before, anyway. He turned her head to check--nope the other ear was normal, just a tiny little girl's ear.
It was just one ear that wasn't quite an ear.... It was a butterfly wing.
"Ow." She ignored the question and pouted at him. The teen let go but pushed her hair back as well as he could so he could see...
"I guess that's why you don't have any parents, huh?" He smiled gently, "You're a faerie child."
She shrugged, rubbing at her strange "ear" with one hand.
"That's alright... You're my family now, so I'll keep you safe, okay?"
The girl nodded, but looked a bit confused. "Family?"
"Yup. I've decided. You're Lenalee Lee. I'm adopting you as my little sister."
"Oh..." She knitted her brows together, some of the suds forming a bubble there. "M'Leen-a-leeee?" She pronounced it slowly, while pointing at herself.
Komui grinned, "We're family now, so we've got to protect and take care of each other. You're my little sister and I'm your big brother."
The newly named girl blinked at him, but nodded with a small smile. "...'kay, b'uther."
And so that big house didn't feel so empty any longer--because there was a family living there once more.
"Hey, you!" Her head snapped up in a way that looked more animal than human, and her eyes seemed to agree with that thought. She was only a little girl--she must be scared of him, that's all. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
She narrowed her eyes and chewed on her lip, but gave a minute shake of her head.
The teen smiled kindly and leaned down to her level, putting his bucket on the ground beside him. "I wasn't going to hurt you." He extended his hand out to her, like one would a wild animal--he had always found that children were just as wild as the animals the adults hunted. "Where's your parents? They must be worried sick about you, so far from town."
The toddler didn't respond, just staring at his hand. She looked down at her own hand with a wrinkled forehead and a small frown. Flexing the fingers, she studied the stubby little appendages before looking back his way. He wasn't sure what to make of this, but let his words trail off after realizing she wasn't listening. It took a long moment of silence, but she shifted on her feet and hands towards his offered hand. It looked like she was about to sniff at it like a dog would, but at the last moment, she slipped her hands inside of his.
"Dunno." Her Chinese was garbled and her voice was small, but after a moment he understood the words.
He carefully closed his hand around hers. "You don't know where your parents are?" She shook her head again, looking from their hands to his face, before crawling closer to him. "What town are you from? I'll help you find them, don't worry."
"M'not from any." She licked her lips and stuck her other hand into her mouth, regardless of it being dirty from the ground. Actually, after seeing her up close, the teen could tell she hadn't seen a bath for a while. Her hair was matted and her skin caked with dirt. If she were lost, she'd been lost for a long time.
He paused, taking in her appearance and her mannerisms. "Do you want to help me collect some stuff in these buckets and carry them back to my house?"
"'kay," she nodded hesitantly.
He stood up slowly, and she followed the stance--not letting go of his hand. "I'm collecting them for a school project. We have to build an ecosystem." She followed him along to the shore and when he gave her one of the buckets, she hugged it with her free arm so it wouldn't drag on the ground. "I think my teacher just wants us to make a poster, but I'm going to make a real one." The girl held the bucket as he found rocks and things to put into it. "Do you know what an ecosystem is?"
She shook her head, looking up at him with a clear expression, much different than the wild one from before. In that expression he saw a young girl, who had been alone, but was ready now, to learn about the world.
So he rambled on happily with her listening, and they never let go of each other's hands.
--
The teen took the little girl home to the house that had once held a family. The small home was all he had left of his family, he but he told her stories about them as they walked hand in hand through the gate and up to the door.
They were filthy from scrounging around the creek, but there was no one there to yell at them about tracking mud through the entranceway. It made him feel like a little kid again, before his father became a scientist and brought up from near nothing. Back then, being filthy had been no big deal at all, but now he was supposed to live up to the honor that his father had gained for them. If anyone saw them so filthy, they would gossip about his family--or his lack of family.
It was that thought that led him to start up a bath for them. It was an expensive western-style tub, and one of the few things that hadn't been destroyed when the monsters killed his family.
He still had money. Enough to keep the house and go to school, anyway. He still worked any time he wasn't busy studying or sleeping. He had honor to keep--one of the few things also left from his family. Barely old enough to not just be sent away to the orphanage, it was his job to take care of his family now--even if that "family" was just him.
... And now her too, he decided.
He scrubbed her hair, trying to get the tangles out. "I never asked... What's your name? I'm Komui Lee, head of the Lee family."
She frowned at him, pawing at his hands in her hair. "T'hurts."
"Well, I've got to get you all clean." He sighed, "Do you have a name?"
The girl pouted, but shook her head. "Dun have any name."
"I'll think of a good name then, just for you." He gave up on her hair for the moment and scrubbed at her face instead.
"'Kay..." She sighed, scrunching up her face to keep the soap from getting in her eyes. "Ow." She pawed at his hand.
"What? I was just..." Komui frowned at what he had found underneath the matted locks. "What.. happened to your ear?" Because it wasn't an ear. It didn't look like any ear he had ever seen before, anyway. He turned her head to check--nope the other ear was normal, just a tiny little girl's ear.
It was just one ear that wasn't quite an ear.... It was a butterfly wing.
"Ow." She ignored the question and pouted at him. The teen let go but pushed her hair back as well as he could so he could see...
"I guess that's why you don't have any parents, huh?" He smiled gently, "You're a faerie child."
She shrugged, rubbing at her strange "ear" with one hand.
"That's alright... You're my family now, so I'll keep you safe, okay?"
The girl nodded, but looked a bit confused. "Family?"
"Yup. I've decided. You're Lenalee Lee. I'm adopting you as my little sister."
"Oh..." She knitted her brows together, some of the suds forming a bubble there. "M'Leen-a-leeee?" She pronounced it slowly, while pointing at herself.
Komui grinned, "We're family now, so we've got to protect and take care of each other. You're my little sister and I'm your big brother."
The newly named girl blinked at him, but nodded with a small smile. "...'kay, b'uther."
And so that big house didn't feel so empty any longer--because there was a family living there once more.