(Y/N)'s POV

(Y/N) slowly blinked the exhaustion from his eyes.

Once again, he was dreaming about the past while he should've been working. For months now, he and the quiet black haired girl whom he'd come to see as a little sister had taken up odd jobs around town to earn some money.

Today, (Y/N) had taken up a morning shift, an afternoon shift, and all of the work that the black haired girl, who he had begun calling little sister, was supposed to do.

The reason why? She had fallen horribly sick, probably from the hundreds of germs, fleas, and ticks that lived on her. (Y/N) hadn't been able to secure a bath for the pair, but he didn't know any other way to help her, so he had to keep trying.

"Oi, little kid! If you don't keep working, I'll dock your pay for the day!" The manager of the rice field that he was working finally spoke up. Since (Y/N) was the only one that accepted a morning shift, and that he had to do his little sister's work as well, he was in for a harsh work day.

(Y/N) and his little sister worked for ¥500 per shift each, barely enough to keep them out of enslavement, but the field manager wouldn't give him the double pay for doing extra work.

(Y/N) cursed the short, angry man under his breath, but continued working. He had a long way to go before he was paid.

•- Time Skip -•

It was the early evening now, and (Y/N) had just finished his work for the day. The field manager handed him a wad of yen, then stalked off to wherever it was he went when he was done torturing his workers.

(Y/N) made it to the impromptu shelter that he and his little sister had made, little more than his now tattered haori held over a small space by a few sticks. It was horrible, but it was home... for now.

Hearing a few strained coughs from their small home, (Y/N) hurried to lift the haori up, revealing his little sister curled into the fetal position against the wall that the shelter was built on.

"Imouto (Little Sister)!" (Y/N) looked at the one person that he held dear with nothing but worry. Her skin was already pale, and her body was shivering.

The girl's head turned to face (Y/N), and her dull eyes filled with light. "Nii-san..." she said. Her voice shook with both pain and relief.

(Y/N) knew that his imouto didn't speak much in the first place, so hearing her talk warmed his heart, but seeing her in this state immediately broke it.

(Y/N) took his small bag off his shoulders and opened it, revealing a blanket, a book, and some water in a gourd.

On his way back, (Y/N) had planned to buy a bag full of supplies, but he only had enough money to buy a few things. Sadly, no vendor or shop owner was willing to take mercy on a small, probably starving, child.

I'm sorry, imouto, this is all I could get... (Y/N) thought to himself. He was already guilty for leaving the small girl alone for most of the day, but his inability to get her everything she needed just added on.

(Y/N) unpacked the small sack of goods, and placed his sister's head into his lap. (Y/N) laid the blanket over them, and ran his fingers through the black haired girl's hair, constantly catching knots.

I also need a brush... and probably scissors too, (Y/N) thought to himself. His sister's hair had grown out significantly, and was full of knots, so he'd need them for her.

(Y/N) felt his own hair, and his too had grown out, from its (H/L) length when he left home, to now.

I'm going to need to at least trim my hair, but I don't know about imouto... (Y/N) was again lost in his thoughts when a small voice interrupted the silence.

"Nii-san... will I get better?" It was the girl laying in (Y/N)'s lap who spoke.

"I- I don't know, imouto," (Y/N) answered honestly. His little sister could always tell when he was lying just by looking at him. Whether that was from knowing him for the months that she did, or something else, she could always tell when something was wrong.

Just out of her line of sight, (Y/N) began counting the yen that they'd saved up.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 550. That's not enough... it's never enough...

"Imouto... there's a chance that you might not see nii-san again for a while," (Y/N) whispered. The girl curled in his lap wrapped her arms around him and squeezed in response.

"No," she said simply. "I will." There was a tone of finality in her voice. She couldn't lose the only person she called family... not now. Not ever.

"You don't understand; they will come to take me. We don't have enough to pay them off for the month." (Y/N)'s voice was low and soft, trying not to rile his sister up. He failed.

"I will not leave you. I can't." The small girl's voice was quiet, but held much more force than what would be expected from someone of her age.

(Y/N) sighed deeply, but leaned against the wall. "Let's just... lay down for a little. I'll explain later."

The girl silently agreed, and let her head fall onto (Y/N)'s chest.

•-•-•

For the past 4 months, (Y/N) has been paying off a group of men in the small, poverty-struck town that he found himself in for protection.

Protection from what, you may ask?
Protection from anyone trying to force him and his dear sister into slavery. But, (Y/N) unknowingly signed for the same to happen to him if he didn't pay them the exact amount that they requested.

This will not end well...

•-•-•

(Y/N)'s POV

(Y/N) awoke to multiple voices. Unfamiliar voices. Slowly opening his eyes, (Y/N) blinked the blur from his vision. His neck was sore, most likely from a bad sleeping position, but there was something else.

All he could see was darkness.

There was a tight pressure just above his waist, and it constantly rubbed against his almost bare abdomen.

Rope, (Y/N) thought to himself. They must've knotted it around his waist to keep him in control. If they had tied him up, then chances were that it was a sack over his head.

A terrifying thought suddenly occurred to (Y/N). Wait... if they have me... then they have imouto!

(Y/N) began to struggle violently against his captors. I need to break out! I need to save imouto!

A memory suddenly flashed through (Y/N)'s mind, and in his mind's eye, he could see his little sister's face.

"Don't worry, I'll protect us both."

(Y/N) began to struggle even harder, but it was for nothing. Two pairs of strong arms held him down, and another ripped the sack off his head.

"Ca- Calm down! We're not planning on hurting you!" The voice was definitely feminine, and he could hear the panic in her voice. (Y/N) heard this voice from his left.

"Leave him be. Let the boss see him struggle and watch what happens." This voice was masculine, and came from behind (Y/N).

"Ah, don't worry. I'll be taking them out of town soon anyways." This voice was masculine as well, and (Y/N) could swear that this man sounded familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on it...

(Y/N) heard a door open behind him, but he didn't dare look behind him. That was, until he heard his sister's voice. It was quiet as ever, but there was clear concern in it.

"Nii-san," she croaked out. Her voice was hoarse, and she sounded like she'd been crying. Violently coughing, she continued, saying, "I thought- I thought they took you away!"

Before (Y/N) could properly respond, another voice cut through. "Would you mind telling me why these kids are still here?" The man's voice held barely contained anger that scared both (Y/N) and his sister. "I thought I told you," the man into (Y/N)'s line of sight, and pointed in the direction that he heard the familiar voice from, "to get these kids out of here and hour ago. And yet, you're still here."

The rope wrapped around (Y/N) was tugged violently. "Come on," one of the men said, "I'll take you out of town myself." (Y/N) was not accepting this. He struggled like a chained bird with escape just in sight. In a way, it was.

There was an open door that the man was dragging him towards, but this door didn't mean freedom. If anything, it most likely meant the exact opposite.

"Imouto! Let go!" (Y/N) began to panic when he couldn't break free of the stone-faced man's grip. His sister began to struggle, too.

"Nii-san! No!" (Y/N)'s sister managed to break from the grasp of the woman behind her and ran towards him. Unfortunately, her foot caught on something on the floor, and she fell to the ground, the burst of strength gone.

"Wait, Haruki-san. Take them both. They're siblings, so I doubt they'll cooperate if you separate them." (A smart choice from a villain? Impossible!) The man that was incredibly angry before was surprisingly calm now. Was he happy to finally get these two kids out of his hair? Was it something else?

The stone-faced man, who was now known as Haruki, that held (Y/N) huffed in annoyance, but grabbed the rope attached to (Y/N)'s sister and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, now. There's no reason to struggle." The man turned back towards the door. This time speaking to the one he called "Boss", he said, "I better be getting paid extra if they act up."

The boss gave a smile that looked more like a sneer than anything, and said, "Of course, but I have no doubt that you can take care of a pair of children."

(Y/N) turned to look back into the shadows of building that he now knew as a storehouse, he could finally make out the face of the man that sounded familiar.

It was the damned field manager! The manager gave a definite sneer at (Y/N) when they locked eyes, and (Y/N) couldn't help his shock.

I have imouto, but this is bad... really bad...

•-•-•

It didn't take long for Haruki to make the trek to the bridge out of town with the pair of children, and that really wasn't good for few reasons. For one, (Y/N) had no time to come up with a plan to save both his sister and himself. Along with that, the speed of the journey made (Y/N)'s legs feel like they were going to fall off. The same most likely went for the little girl staying hidden behind him.

Soon, the trio were halfway across the bridge.

Not good! How can I... I can't do anything! I can't save us! Someone, please help-

(Y/N)'s internal monologue was cut off by a female voice ahead of him.

"Excuse me, do you have a moment?" The voice was melodic and soothing, and it put (Y/N) partly at ease. It also caused Haruki to pause in his place.

Peeking his head past Haruki, (Y/N) saw two beautiful women, both in uniforms, and both with butterfly hairpins adorning their hair.

"Could you tell us why those children are all tied up? Are they criminals, perhaps?" The one that spoke was the older one, with a single green and pink butterfly hairpin on each side of her hair. She also had a flowing butterfly-patterned haori that looked just slightly oversized for her.

"Isn't it obvious? They're flea-ridden, and look at their faces! They're so dirty. Not to mention, they might try to escape." Haruki answered very rudely. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his lips were curled into a frown.

The older butterfly girl began approaching (Y/N) and his sister. Once she got closer, (Y/N)'s eyes sparkled, and he could only think one thing.

Please save us, beautiful lady!

The butterfly girl leaned down to eye level with (Y/N) and his sister. "Hello there, nice to meet you. My name is Kocho Kanae. What's your name?"

(Y/N) was too starstruck to answer immediately. "(Y-Y-Y/N)." It's amazing how a girl could reduce (Y/N) to a sputtering, blushing, mess just by talking.

"That's a nice name, (Y/N)," Kanae shifted her to the girl standing next to (Y/N). "What's your name?" (Y/N)'s sister reacted in much of the same way as her older brother, just staring starstruck into Kanae's pale purple eyes. Kanae stared right back, confused at the girl's lack of an answer.

Haruki answered for her. "She's got no name, alright? Her parents never gave her one!" Kanae flinched back slightly at his words. "Happy now? Get away from them!" Haruki attempted to shove Kanae away from the siblings, but his hand was intercepted and slapped away by the other, younger, butterfly girl. Her eyes were gradient purple, and they held a contained anger.

"Please don't touch my nee-san." Now it was Haruki's turn to flinch back. He stared at the pair of butterfly girls with contempt, then retaliated.

"What's the problem with you two? Listen, if you want to speak with the kid, you gotta buy her. And if you buy one, you're gonna have to buy both; they're a package deal." Haruki looked satisfied with his response, until the younger butterfly girl looked at her sister, then began to pull something from her uniform.

"Alright then... we'll purchase them. Would this be enough?" In a flash, bills and coins were flying around the bridge. Haruki was so stunned that he left dropped his grip on the two ropes tied around (Y/N) and his sister. Kanae and her sister were quick to each grab one of the fallen ropes, pulling (Y/N) and his sister to follow them.

"Hey! Come back here with them!" Haruki yelled. His voice was far and faint now, and (Y/N) had never felt more free in his life, even if there was still a rope tied around his waist.

The younger butterfly girl turned her head and yelled right back. "I'd pick that up right now if I were you! There's a crowd here, and the wind is strong!" The unlikely quad continued to run out of town.

Kanae chuckled lightly, then gave a close-eyed smile. "Are you sure about this, Shinobu?" The young butterfly girl replied with a short "It's fine."

Kanae looked back as well, and she yelled, "Please excuse us," to Haruki, who was now kneeling on the boards of the bridge, frantically collecting the money that Shinobu threw at him.

As they continued running, (Y/N) could only think that these girls were the saviors that he'd been praying for months.

Maybe... just maybe... this could turn out well.

•-•-•

Taisho Secrets

- Sorry for the repeated "The girl" and "(Y/N)'s sister" but it was necessary.

- (Y/N) and the girl are so close that they don't just call each other siblings, they pretty much are.

- In this story, (Y/N)'s adoptive(?) sister doesn't lack emotions to the degree that she does in the original.

- (Y/N) is eight years old to his sister's six years, hence the terms "Imouto" and "Nii-san".

- Both (Y/N) and his sister think Kanae is absolutely beautiful, so much so that they have simply no words when she talks to them.

•-•-•

And that's chapter one! Please leave any thoughts and comments that you have about this chapter, and I really hope you enjoyed you wonderful people!

じゃあね！

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