The Pyrokinetic

Mai observed their new member whom Lin found the night after dealing with Minnie-chan.

She was Tsukino. A homeless girl awakening to psychic powers while dying so Lin took her in while wondering what her power was. He had done 'something', so she wasn't dying anymore but recovering from starvation.

Mai prepared vegetable broth as one dying from hunger cannot take in heavy solids for some time.

But Tsukino...was a cold girl who didn't like people. So she tried to befriend her while undergoing tests and training from Naru...

But she got a dream that she told Naru about.

About Tsukino's strange dream that she dreamed about.

'Hooo? That's what you saw this time eh? Interesting.' Naru mused. 'And since she lives with us, we felt her power fully-awaken, we just didn't know what and you said you saw fire...'

'Yeah...that handsome blonde foreign guy tapped her forehead with a flaming finger, saying he would awaken her and hold her to her promise.' said Mai. 'But...Mafia?' she gulped.

'She's clearly unaware of her ancestors' supernatural ties while being cosa nostra on the side.' Naru narrowed his eyes. 'Mai, never speak of this again for your own good. If the wrong ears hear, all of us will be in danger.' he told her warningly.

Mai gulped at his tone.

'You clearly don't know what Cosa Nostra is so let's put it this way: cold-hearted, ruthless, brutal, no-nonsense, no-mercy Yakuza. The Yakuza are nicer compared to them.'

NOW she got it, her expression says it all.

'OK...I just told you what I saw. Pyrokinetic huh...'

'Yeah...but what does he mean that their 'time' is engraved?'

'Beats me but I think we're better off not knowing.'

'OK. Its Lin-san's turn training her today neh? Is she ready for solids now?'

'No.'

'Hai hai, better buy her dinner again~'

'...take her shopping as well after her lessons.' Naru told her. 'Can't have her wearing those rags while working. And a salon appointment. Lin will give the money.'

'OK. How'd she manage all these years...' Mai wondered as she walked out.

When she was gone, Naru was in deep thought.

Mai can see events that gave need-to-knows in her dreams relating to cases so he can't even call it Retrocognition until he gets more evidence. She is also sensitive to psychic phenomena, particularly danger.

'Tsukino', a homeless girl who ran away from her town in bitterness from her situation when he touched her for information while she was unconscious. She hated everyone and everything, angry that they hurt her for things that wasn't her fault and her mother was worse in her delusional apathy while being a cheerful airhead.

She barely survived in the streets, being clumsy and nearly died from winter and freezing in the rain many times but police always seems to find her by luck. And she somehow gets less clumsy every time she 'nearly' dies. When Lin found her, she was actually almost dead, having that dream and her mafia don ancestor fully-awakening her and keeping her alive when she passed her unusual test.

If they could call it that.

Really, forcing all their sins and blood onto a homeless descendant who denied and spat on it, thus earning the Shodaime's approval?

Right now, after getting her well enough, they'd have to get Ayako to give her the full medical package. She's skinny, malnourished, underdeveloped and small for her age as a result of her ordeal. That and Tsukino gave herself that name, throwing away her real name and will get angry if used.

Tsukino was because she liked the moon. It could change and disappear, wishing she was one so she'd stop suffering if she could change, but miserably could not so while she hates everyone and everything, she hated herself more as she attracted cruelty and pain to her miserable self.

She used to be kind and gentle but she had limits, and became nothing but bitter hate.

Such a personality in a pyrokinetic...yikes.

Mai would come in handy.

xxx

Ayako is NOT pleased.

Naru hired her for her medical services on a homeless pyrokinetic Lin found. A young girl who suffered and bore contempt in her silence but thankfully, cooperates in silence for what's needed to be done.

'Naru...her many lab results, are upsetting.' Matsuzaki Ayako is VERY upset, smacking many envelopes of test results on her client's desk. 'I've seen healthier homeless than her. I have drafted a menu for Mai to do for Tsukino's sake and the poor girl may as well use her salary on vitamin supplements since she's getting free food and housing.' was her verdict. 'And she needs two weeks in my family hospital for much-needed IV Treatments so she'll stay there for quite some time along with a healthy menu of broth and poached eggs before she's usable on a job with gradual testing if she's ready for tougher solids like rice again.'

'Very well. I'll have Lin continue her lessons in a private room.'

'Alright...oh, and she's 14 by the way, as of last year. She told me her birthday.'

xxx

Ayako observed Tsukino.

Since Mai got her to a salon treatment, she managed to straighten out her hair. Its a variation of a hime cut whereshe has longer sidelocks that went up to her chin, and the rest of her hair worn long and drastically layered, past her shoulders. When Lin found her, Mai compared her to Cousin It of Addams Family. Ayako had to look it up the net as she didn't get the reference. But unlike Cousin It, most of her hair was so dry, full of damages a lot of it had to be cut off, and what remains was thankfully enough to give her a barely decent hairstyle! Her nails also got their first-ever manicure and pedicure since she was a full-body mess.

She never spoke.

She heard from Mai about her...old life.

Its no wonder she was this way. But its too young to give up on humanity isn't it? Just because of your house and your school life in elementary?

She tried talking to her, knowing she'll never talk back...but its clear she was being tested the way the younger girl looked at her. As if she too, would verbally abuse her.

Since her family hospital housed the sacred tree that taught her, her skills, she was able to understand her despite her silence. Had it been a 'mummy', she would not 'hear' the girl's spiritual 'voice' that enabled her to reach out to her.

Her expression got 'less coldly animosity' to 'stoic' levels. It helps that Ayako shows her around to meet the nicer patients.

Well, that, and Lin visits to keep her powers in check while getting a written report from her.

xxx

Two weeks later...

'Okaeri, Tsukino-chan!' Mai chimed as Ayako returned Tsukino home. Granted, she's still skinny, but looks loads better than last they saw her.

Ayako would tell that she needs to eat vegetable broth every two hours with poached eggs so they need to keep a pot of soup stocked well. And make her eat the diced, very soggy vegetables on the bottom of the pot since they're veeeery soft enough by the time she empties the pot.

(the soggy vegetables with what little soup left usually ends up as lunch and dinner.)

Clearly there's a 15 minute break to eat every two hours of her lessons.

Lin would teach Tsukino about their job, while Mai would tutor her about school when not in her secretarial duties.

xxx

When autumn came when summer ended in three months...

'Oh! We got a new face!' Bou-san noted as he saw a young girl in the office, studying under Mai using Kanji Drill books. 'Client?'

'Nope, a new co-worker.' said Ayako. 'She's Tsukino, a Pyrokinetic. She's a homeless girl Naru took in.'

'Ooh! How is she in her fiery studies?' Bou-san perked up in interest. Tsukino, the girl looked at him as if he was under her microscope that made him inwardly gulp...then somehow he felt he passed.

'Well, she can create smoke, heat things up, melt them and being a flamethrower.' said Mai. 'She can also take away temperature. She practices on drinks and garbage to start out small.' she explained. 'So what's our new job?'

'We dunno, Masako-chan called us here.' Bou-san shrugged. 'And the li'l lady herself isn't here yet.'

'Well, wait here, I'll go get coffee.' said Mai as she got up. 'And Tsukino-chan's soup and fruit juice too.' and she left.

'Looking better in three months, Tsukino-chan.' Ayako said to the girl kindly as the girl's appearance showed remarkable improvement, but still skinny and will likely be a late bloomer despite all treatments Ayako had done for her.

Mai was back with coffee, a bowl of soup with four poached eggs with ketchup, and a freshly-made orange juice since the pulp was visible. Dessert was avocado chunks with condensed milk.

Ayako approves.

Soon, Masako came when Tsukino was done eating...and since she's still in recovery, she couldn't come with everyone else yet thus was asked to stay at home.

Tsukino wondered for how long since she was STILL getting paid despite doing nothing.

Was it because she's a psychic, she wondered...