〜 Prologue: The Promise 〜

She just laid there and listened. She heard her parents yelling, arguing once again.

Cradled in her arms was her little sister Hanako, who had come to her in tears because of the loud fighting. Being the caring big sister she was, she allowed Hanako to lay with her and sleep in her bed for the night.

Petting Hanako's head which laid on Kiyomi's chest, she sighed as their yelling grew louder. The floodgates opened, and tears broke loose, dripping down her cheeks unrelenting. How bothersome, it was.

Her parents were too caught up in themselves to realize the bickering was getting to their children. One younger daughter who was growing upset, beginning to think their fighting was her fault. And one older daughter, who was sinking into the deep hole called depression.

Looking down at the foot of her bed, she saw her pet rabbit, Usagi, sleeping peacefully. The silver fur of the bunny seemed to shimmer in the moonlight that shone in through her window. How peaceful. She wished she was the bunny. Then she wouldn't have to worry about all her problems.

Then, she looked at Hanako. Her short, ginger hair that she loved so much. She immediately regretted the thought. She couldn't just abandon Hanako to fend this alone. She had to be strong, for the both of them. She was still too innocent and too weak to protect herself. Hanako was only 6 years old, after all. 

"I swear, I'll protect you, no matter what." She found these words slipping out of her lips.

That night, the 10-year-old Kiyomi Kinomoto vowed to herself that she would not allow herself to be weak. Even if it meant wearing a false mask of strength over her true self. She refused to be weak. She had to protect Hanako, after all. No matter what.

She would be the perfect daughter for her parents, and shelter Hanako's precious heart. She would put priority on Hanako's life over her own.

Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to sink into an resolved sleep.

She did not realize at the time that this promise could be her undoing, and could only make everything worse in her life.

〜 Prologue: End 〜

//Hi! Emilia here! This is my second book! I have a good plot going here and ideas. So, I really hope you enjoy this!!

Sadly, no questions for this chapter... But, next chapter there will!! Exciting, isn't it?

Anyway! This will be one of four stories that I will be working on. Finding Hope, this one, a Yuri! On Ice book called Breaking Free, and The Bizarre Adventures of Ryoko. There will be monthly uploads, each story having their own week in a month.