Author's Note: This is placed in the time of the Blue Exorcist Movie, so first: If you haven't seen it, WATCH IT BEFORE YOU READ THIS. This won't affect the story at all, it's like a one-shot of what's happened before. Also- WARNING: FEELS MAY BE EXPERIENCED DURING THIS ONE-SHOT, SO PLEASE DON'T HURT ME IF THAT HAPPENS. GOOD BYE AND HAPPY READING.
Nat's POV:
I cocked my head to the side as I saw the three Kyoto boys clad in blue goop. I slowly covered my mouth, starting to giggle. "Were you guys the ones in the MOLB accident?" I blush as I giggle more, starting to laugh.
"S-Shut up!" Bon exclaims, his cheeks red-or at least under the blue goop- as he clenched his fist in frustration.
"I see." I giggle more as I hold their hands, wiping them with a towel before giving them each one, ushering them into the bath. "Usamaro-san, Onii-san, there are people who will help you now! I am free!" I cheer, smirking slightly as I start to dry my soaked curls. I had to help Rin try to wash Usamaro up, with a major fail. Now, I could sit back and relax because there were others to help. I sneezed and sighed. Dammit, I have a cold. I sigh and smile a little at Izumo and Shiemi who had gathered clothes.
"Why're you so...wet?" I hear a snicker from the bath, and so Izumo throws a book into that area, then hearing a deep, throaty yelp and a slim titter of laughter.
"D-Damn you, Kamiki!" Bon scowls, rubbing his head. I giggle a little, looking back at the two girls.
"I had to help wash up Usamaro." I shudder, remembering how he had touched me in very...awkward...places. "They both got me soaked." I grumble, now in a pair of sweats and a shirt of Rin's that went over my shoulder. "It's fun to be with them, though. It's like when we were little." I smile faintly, and look back at them. "They're like what the three of us-Rin, Yukio and I- were like when we were little. It's fun, and I love having those times with them."
I see Usamaro run out with a towel on, and so I smile and high five him as I crouch down to his level, giving him his undies first and then his other clothes. I blush as he accidentally grabs for the top of the sweats I had on, and so it fell a little down as the boys came in. Shima had a nosebleed as Bon and Konkemaru shrieked, closing their eyes with red faces.
"D-D-DON'T LOOK!" I scream, and cover my front before quickly tossing the other clothes to him, hiding behind Rin who also just came out. I whimper and hide, sitting down and sulking in a corner. After a few moments, I got back and helped him put the clothes on with a giggle, kneeling down in front of him before finishing, patting his head. He tried to pat my head, so he got up to stand on my legs, going on his tiptoes and patting my head too. I smile a little more, and sit him back down before smiling at Izumo. "Thanks for getting him the clothes." I murmur to her.
"I-I just got what I could find first." She mumbled, crossing her arms. When he went to hug her, he instead had his hands up her skirt, flashing her panties. She squeaked, and quickly covered her front of her skirt.
"D-Did the time just fly by?" Shima sputtered, his nose red and his cheeks a reddening color. I blush and quickly pick up Usamaro, keeping him on my side as I start to wave, setting Usamaro back down to hug the three boys and the girls, though he only hugged their legs. Rin and I waved while they left, each of Usamaro's hands encased in one of ours.
At dinner, I giggled as Usamaro and Kuro rapidly blew into their food, taking bites out of it each time. I smiled, slowly eating mine and smiling at Rin, pecking his cheek. "Thanks, Onii-san!" I grin a little, and he only pats my head, rubbing the top of it.
"It's fine, Onee-chan." He chuckles and keeps on eating, looking at Usamaro in amusement as he was finished already. I smiled a little more as Rin scolded him, putting some of his Omu-rice on the child's. I smile and pass my plate to Rin, standing up.
"I need to go now, Onii-san." I state softly. I need to go and do the mission with Ryuuji and the others." My cheeks flush softly and I smile a little bashfully. He only chuckled, and put a hand on my head.
"Alright, but make sure not to be covered in goop." He smiles cheekily. "I don't want you to come in the middle of the night again, okay?" He teases. My cheeks flush and I roll my eyes.
"S-Shush." I murmur, kissing his cheek and Usamaro's head hugging the both of them before getting up and jogging out of the door.
"Shima, stop ogling the poor girl and chant!" I scold him, unsheathing my sword, letting the golden light gleam as it sliced through the pink MOLB. The liquid sprayed everywhere, getting on Haru's fur and my hair. I squeaked and blushed a lot, now having a head of pink, not brunette. I sigh and look at them, who were covered head to toe in pink too. I let out a soft sigh, helping Shima up.
"Jeez, if you paid more attention-"
"That's also for you guys too," I chide with a soft giggle.
"Says the one with a pink head." Bon retorts with a snort. I blush and smile a little, giggling more.
"Look at yourself, Ryuuji." I smile a little, and stick out my tongue before waving. "See you guys." I call over my shoulder, starting to wipe my sword of the goo, flicking it onto the cobblestone street as I started to run back to Rin's dorm. I guess I needed another bath.
"Geez, Onee-chan. I don't understand how you can get so messy in a mission." Rin chides as he scrubs my scalp and head. I huff and lean further down into the pool of water and soap. Usamaro was sitting next to me in a towel, and Rin had a towel wrapped around his waist as he washed my hair.
"I-I was just exorcising it and it makes a huge…" I make a huge 'Boom!' sign with my hands, and let out a sigh. "It sprays goop all over us, and so-"
"You got it gooped up in your hair. It sure likes it, 'cause it won't get out." He chuckles and tries to get it out more, causing me to yelp in pain.
"Ite!" I pout and whimper a little. "Onii-san, that hurts!" I whimper more, and look at the pink-crusted strands of my hair.
"I'm sorry, Onee-chan, but you have dyed your hair pink. You have Shimitus." He says in a grave tone, and I let my head submerge under the water. "Nooooo…." Usamaro looks at us, and blinks a few times.
"Would you like it if the pink were to disappear?" He asked out of the blue. We looked at him confused, and so I nodded.
"Uhuh. I don't want Shimitus," I smile a little and giggle.
"Really?" He smiles a little. I nod, then started to drift off. I closed my eyes, and so did Rin.
"I'm kinda tired…" I murmur, and start to yawn, stretching.
"Me too, how 'bout you sleep over with us, Onee-chan?" He smiles cheekily, putting a slack hand on my head. I nod slowly, my cheeks flushing a little as I start to get up, holding the towel wrapped around me tightly as I dried myself off with another in the changing room, stretching as I came out of the room with a huge shirt that went over my hips to my knees. It was one of my father's shirts, so I used it whenever I slept over at Rin's dorm. Drying off Usamaro and putting him in more clothes, I cuddled with the two of them as I fell asleep.
The Next Morning- Shiemi's POV:
When I visited Rin and Usamaro, I was surprised to see that Nat was still sleeping in Rin's bed, her dark hair tinted a magenta at the tips and streaked, her tan cheeks lightly flushed as she gripped the pillow under her head.
"She usually has nightmares, but this was the first night she hasn't had any." Rin mused from behind me, making me jump.
"O-oh! S-sorry to barge in!" I squeak in surprise. He only shakes his head, chuckling.
"Really, it's fine." He smiles a little more, watching the two sleeping. "For some reason I always find my head between his legs, like I'm being wrestled." He snickers softly, and runs a hand through his tousled hair. "It's a lot of fun to have Usamaro around. It reminds me of when Nat, Yukio and I were little." He smiles more.
"That's good, if it's nice memories." I whisper, making sure I don't wake the other two. He nods a little, and grins. I hear another knock on the door, and get Rin to nudge the twosome awake while I open the door. Outside was Koko, the three Kyoto boys, and Izumo. I smile, and wave. "H-Hi, minna!" I smile a little, looking over my shoulder towards the two who were rubbing their eyes, and giggled a little at Bon and the other two boys. "I see you guys did that mission again." I muse, and smile a little more opening the door. "Come on in!"
I open the door to the bath, and so I hear some pitter patters of feet to see Usamaro tackle everyone in hugs. I smile, and look over to see Nat get up, now with a shirt and some shorts, her combat boots up to her knees, giving her that aura that said 'I'm nice but if you screw with me I'm gonna whoop your butt.' That aura was scary indeed. The one thing that tipped off the 'scary aura' was her pinkish hair. I blinked a few times, and giggled.
"I see you still have the pink hair~" Shima teases, but Nat blinks a few times, along with Rin, who took a piece of hair.
"What pink hair?" Nat asked softly, and blushed a little. "I wonder what happened to make you guys think that…" She murmurs confused as she pulls a strand of hair from her messy bun. It was tinted pink at the ends, streaked a little higher at some points, but it didn't seem like she noticed. We turned our heads to the side, seeing that Rin was doing the same.
"Nevermind, do you guys want to play baseball? We were just gonna go out there now to play catch, so you guys can come!" She changed the subject, and smiled at us sweetly. We nod in response, grabbing the gloves on the table before running out to the field nearby.
Nat's POV:
Softly smiling as I go to the home plate, I slowly take soft swings as in practice. I didn't know what to do, so I was looking at Usamaro-the catcher- for help. He shrugged, looking at me with clueless-ness too.
"Just hit the damn ball, Baka!" I hear Bon yell from third base. I nod, blushing from embarrassment as I heft the bat onto my shoulder. Rin throws the ball, and with a faint grunt and bracing myself, I swung the bat forward, not knowing what to do. I looked at the sky, to see it hit a building nearby.
Everyone blinked a few times, before cheering. I slowly put the bat down, and looked around. "W-what do I...do?" I whimper, my knees wobbling with nervousness. Bon let out a sigh, and picked me up, starting to run from home base to first, then second, then third. My cheeks flushed as I tried to get out of his grip, my eyes closed and my hair whipping around. "P-Put me down!" I cry out, and start to pound on his shoulder. "R-Ryuuji put me down!" I feel myself get back onto the ground to feel a rubbery, smooth surface. I look down to see the home plate, and smile blushing, and instinctively wrap my arms around Bon's neck, hugging him. "W-We did it!" I cheer, and pull back to blush and quickly let go.
"Oh my God, just kiss already!" I hear Koyalee groan, and Izumo pretend to be retching. I blush more and sit next to Shiemi in the dugout, my cheeks a pink and my hair tousled.
"Y-you did great out there, Nat-san." Shiemi complimented and smiled. I smiled back at her, my fingers fiddling with the rips in my shorts.
"A-Arigatou, Shiemi-san." I mutter back quietly, blushing more when Bon sat down next to Shima, who slapped his shoulder in congrats. Shiemi went up to bat, and did a soft punt, which got her out because Izumo had tagged her. That was three outs, considering Shima and Konkemaru had also gotten out, one a touch of the base and the other a caught pop fly.
We jogged out to the field, grabbing the gloves from the people coming in to bat. I was at first base, crouching a little and leaning my elbows on my knees. I looked over at Bon, waiting for him to throw the ball at Koyalee, who was smirking slightly as she swung the bat in one hand. She probably knew that this irritated him, because when she did it one last time, he threw the ball at his top strength, her unprepared and hurling the ball my way with the bat. I jumped up to catch it, but when I landed on the ground again, I had stepped back and fallen over the base, tumbling onto my bum on the sand. I whimpered a little, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Hearing cheers from my team, I soon found out that it was a good thing. I had gotten Koyalee out-though I didn't mean to- and got two more outs until we could bat again. I got up with the helping hand of the Takara-the puppet boy, as Rin called him- making Bon grunt a little in surprise.
The only person that Takara really talked to in our class was me, though he was still rude and hurtful. I did not mind though, because he usually would listen to me when I would vent out. And he gave nice hugs. I could not forget that. I smiled and thanked him, dusting myself off before looking back at Bon, who had his left eye twitching as he turned back briskly.
I looked at him with confusion, before turning back to see Rin prancing towards the first base. Bon had gotten the ball, so Rin had cheered and tackled me to the ground, my stomach to the ground, sitting on me and tugging on my hair. I whimpered and started to cry out of embarrassment and pain, my bum still hurting.
Koyalee burst into laughing with Shima & Izumo, while Takara only watched with his arm crossed. Bon's eye twitched even more, and then I started to blush a lot, trying to get out of his grip. I felt the weight on my back lighten, and so I turned on my back to thank Usamaro, who pulled him off. I pecked his cheek when I got up, and smiled as I stood back up, dusting myself off, looking back at Izumo, who was ready to bat.
Continuing the game, it came down with the bases loaded and Usamaro at the home plate. I made a motion with my hands on top of another at my right ear, my head turned to look to the left and my figure standing to look forward. I then make a swinging motion, and so did Usamaro, making the ball fly over our heads against the fence. I saw Bon with anger and irritation in his eyes as he clenched his fist, and so I knelt next to him, covering his ears as Rin and Izumo ran along the bases, jumping on home plate. I jumped in the air, congratulating Usamaro with a peck on the head, and the game ended, leaving a sulking Bon, a teasing group of kids, and a clueless team.
"D-Damn it…" Bon uttered, veins popping from his temple.
"Ah, that was so fun," Rin sang, smirking fairly.
"That's only because you won!" Bon yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. Koyalee laughed, and started to tease him too. I sat down next to Usamaro, and observed the crowd of people that were known as my friends.
"Ugh, I don't wanna go on the mission tonight." Shima groans, putting his head on his fists. I got up, getting my tray of food and dumping it in the trash bin, listening to him. He, Bon, Konkemaru, Izumo and I were on one team, along with some others.
"I thought you would, 'cause of the girls on our team." Izumo argued, and tears a hunk of bread off with her teeth.
"Oh? Is someone jealous?" Shima teased, making her scowl and cross her arms. I smiled softly, and stifled a giggle as I leaned against the wall next to the trash bin.
"Why would I be jealous?" Izumo scoffs, sweeping a ponytail over her shoulder.
"I'm heading out, see you guys there." I announce, getting up and opening the door.
"See you!" Rin pecks my cheek, and Usamaro gives me a hug. With a glance at the furious Bon, I start to jog out of the door, towards District 6, my station for patrol.
Rin's POV:
I took another gulp of my drink, and looked over at Shiemi, then frowned, noticing a bandaid on her cheek. Where'd she get that? I wondered. "Oi, Shiemi" I call over to her, and cock my head to the side.
"Y-Yes, Rin?" She sat down next to me so she could hear me properly, but even at this, I could feel my lips growing wider into a smile.
"Where'd you get that?" I ask, poking her gently with a chuckle on the cheek. She touched it too, then frowned, shrugging. "Did ya fall on somethin'? Be more careful next time!" I chide with a grin, and get up. "See you guys!" I cheer, pushing my chair in and stating towards my dorm with Usamaro.
Nat's POV:
Where are they? I thought as another MOLB exploded with lime green liquid spilling out over Haru and I. A huge hand swings over me, slamming my figure into the construction sight beside District 5, where no one was patrolling.
"Onee-san!" I heard someone shout over the pounds of the demon's huge feet lumbering over the territory it was not welcome in.. "Onee-san!" The voice crowed again, and then the mummy-like demon stumbled, holding its now- missing arm that was shot off by a familiar bullet.
"Nii-san…" I whimper, my voice weak and hoarse from the smoke fogging over from the flames of destruction.
"Nee-san!" Yukio calls again, running over to me, picking my frame up with my arm wrapped around his shoulders. "Where's your team?" Yukio muttered to me frantically, trying to find a spot to put me down.
"I-I don't know. Koyalee's on a different mission, but I don't know where they are…" I murmur, leaning against the wall. "There're too many demons around, get them!" I tell Yukio with a limp of the foot, and Haru leans against me to steady me.
"Nee-san, what'll you do? Your ankle's strained, you won't be able to-"
"I won't know until I try." I argue, and smile faintly as he nods slowly and starts to run towards the festival. I unsheathed my sword, and start to charge, my familiars- my companions- by my side.
Yukio's POV:
I panted as I ran towards the crowd. "Nii-san! Shiemi-san! Kamiki-san! Someone!" I hollered into the cheers, immediately dying out of sound. When I saw my students at the platform, I pushed myself to the front, ignoring the protests of others.
"Yo, Okumura-sensei!" I heard Shima yell to me. He, Bon, and Konkemaru were playing on the drums that were held onto their sides, and the girls-Kamiki and Shiemi- were giggling and dancing. "Come and join us!"
"Why aren't you guys at your posts?!" I yell over the music, but they only looked at me confused.
"You mean this?" Bon laughs as he bangs on the drum one last time. My eye twitches as I clench my fists.
"Where's Nat, then? Why isn't she with you?" I holler back, and hear screams as more demons invade the city. A flash of golden light is seen, and the demon exploded with coal tar, sending more screams all over in the crowd. I shot at a huge boar, but someone's voice made me shoot a few millimeters away from his tusk.
"T-that's-"
"Nat's fighting out there by herself, because you guys abandoned your post!" I roared, angry and worried out of my mind. I stopped, seeing Shiemi flinch and Konkemaru's lip tremble. "Gomen. However, you need to get out there now!" I shout, then look back at the bor, who was now a piglet-or boarlet- panting on the ground. "You must be one of her familiars, huh?" I whispered to it, picking its small, trembling figure up.
"Shima, Konkemaru; let's go!" Bon commanded, picking up his gun in replacement of the drum that now was laid on the platform. "Where is she?" He asked me, his eyes narrowed, like he was thinking of ways to scold Nat.
She's at District 6, but she's also trying to take out them at District 5. I leave her in your hands. Take care of her for me, onegai!" I bow, and quickly get up before leading Shiemi towards the exit, now trying to find Rin.
Konkemaru's POV:
"Damn it!" Bon yelled, punching the wall with frustration. I flinched, continuing to look for a familiar pair of golden-flecked green eyes or the freckled nose that both belonged to my friend. "Where could she be?!" Bon groaned, looking up. "We need to find her, otherwise the coal tar'll…"
"Just come on, Bon!" Shima calls, now on the roof of the building. "If you want to even survive...we need to leave her to get help." Shima stated, though he could barely choke out the words. He then grabbed Bon's forearm as the stairway under Bon's feet collapsed from the coal tar.
"Bon!" I meekly called out, running to the ledge, looking down to see Bon climbing up with the help of Shima. "Come on, get in!" I instruct, the three of us now at the HQ. We piled in, and slammed the door behind us.
Nat's POV:
I sat at the HQ, a bandage being applied to my ankle and left hand. Someone was dabbing at gashes with alcohol soaked rags, causing me to wince and squirm. Hearing the door open, I turned my head to see the three Kyoto boys. "R-Ryuuji!" I cried out happily, bolting from my chair but falling back.
"N-Nat!" I heard Konkemaru whimper and sit next to me, hugging my side. My cheeks flushed faintly, and so I kissed his head protectively, hugging him back.
"Damn you, Nat!" Bon growled, then looked away quickly, his cheeks flushed. "Y-you worried us." I smiled softly, my cheeks now a red. Getting up, I looked out of the window, seeing the coal tar oceans flood the city, when a golden brown fuzz went over the destroyed buildings and the sea of coal tar. This aura...Usamaro.
"Nat?" Shima murmured as I lunged for my sword, and he tried to stop me as I ran-as best as I could- out of the HQ.
"Usamaro!" I called out to the empty streets, breathing heavily. "Yamete! Usamaro!" I screamed out, tears spilling from my eyes, trailing down my cheeks and dripping from the point of my chin. I was about to start running again, but arms wrapped around me tightly, someone's head nestled into my hair.
"Yamete, Nat." Bon's voice mumbled, his grip tightening, like he was afraid I'd run away from him.
"But, Usamaro-"
"Yamete." He states louder, his tone filled with pain. "Usamaro was our friend too." He whispered, but the golden haze started to dissolve, catching my attention instead.
"Usamaro!" I screeched, and broke from his grip, sobbing. I cared about Bon, but Usamaro seemed like my childhood. I wanted to protect him. Usamaro wasn't just my friend. He was like my brother; he was like the memories of Yukio, Rin, and I when we were younger. He was my family.
"Nat!" Bon called again, reaching out for me.
"Onee-chan." A soft, high voice soothed me as I stopped in my tracks.
"N-Nii-chan." I whispered, and quickly wiped my eyes. "Where are you?" I whimpered, reaching out to nothing. Hearing the slaps of shoe against ground, I turned around, wanting to see Usamaro, but instead saw Bon. My lip started to tremble, and so I just watched Bon step forward, his foot making a soft thud against the cobblestone street, stopping when he was in front of me.
"Onee-chan, ja ne!" Usamaro's voice drifted into the wind, blowing away, getting softer each second. When Bon heard him, he smiled a little, though it was sad and small. "I'll leave her to you, Bon." He continued, and afterwards, a light giggle was able to be heard. "Take care of Rin and Yukio for me, Onee-chan."
"Nii-chan…" I bawled, my knees giving out under me. Bon easily caught me, though, and just pressed me against his chest, letting me cry. "Nii-chan…" I glubbed for breath, and curled my fingers in his shirt, starting to cry harder.
"It was his turn to take care of you, Nat." I heard him sooth, his chin rested on the top of my head, and his fingers gently brushed over the back of my head, down to my neck and back up, like a pattern.
"Nii-chan..why…" I whisper, my eyes closing, though it hurt, and I leaned more against Bon, letting my mind drift off as I let Bon sooth me.
Next Day- Koko's POV:
"Yo!" I smiled widely as I knocked on the door of Rin's dorm room. I heard a few clatters, and chuckled softly as I heard the door open.
"Hello, Koko-san." Yukio smiled faintly as he answered the door, leaning against the doorframe. I frowned faintly, and looked over his shoulder, down at his feet, around the door, expecting a hug from the little munchkin. That little squirt Usamaro was really important to me.
"Where's Usamaro?" I ask, peeking over his shoulder again into the dorm. I frowned as I saw Yukio's confused face, and blinked a few times.
"Usamaro? Who's that?" Yukio asked befuddled.
"W-What do-"
"Where's Nat?!" Rin yelled down the stairs, a worried look on his face. I looked at him confused now, along with Yukio. I frowned even more, and cocked my head to the side, not understanding what just happened, nor why Nat would be here. "Nat was here for dinner last night, and she had come here early this morning. Now I can't find her and I just can't lose her...too." He mumbled the last part, and looked back up as Yukio spoke, clearly relieved.
"At a shrine for some reason." Yukio answered quietly, then scratched the back of my head. "Koko-san, would you like me to make you some tea?" He asked, and blinked as he pulled back on his glasses after wiping them with a towel. I look over at Rin though, because I have to talk to him.
"N-not right now, thank you." I bow and smile at him, before turning to Rin. "Do you know Usamaro?" I then ask, looking at Rin wildly. After a few moments of silence, he only nodded, his eyes cast down to the floor.
"Come with me." He mumbled, taking my arm and starting towards the city.
Rin's POV:
Once we got to the shrine, I saw Nat sitting with her legs tucked outward, her hands holding a container of food.
"Nii-chan, I brought you some leftovers from Onii-san. It might be cold, but I tried to warm it as much as I could on the way here. It's your favorite, Omu rice." I heard her murmur, her voice shaky but still loving and caring. I remembered that I had made Omu rice last night, the night of the festival. Tears went to my eyes, but I hastily wiped my eyes furiously, before Koko could see that I was crying. When I looked over to her, I could see that her eyes were watery, her lip trembling.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you...I'm sorry you couldn't be our family, Nii-chan..." She whispered again, and it started to rain. I held up the umbrella I had over our heads, and frowned a little more. Koko was on her knees, her head in her hands. I looked down at her sadly, and patted her head once before giving her my spare umbrella, and afterwards, I walk over to behind Nat, and hold out my umbrella so she's shielded from the rain. "Huh?" As she looked up, tears flowed from her eyes. "Onii-san..." She whispered, and started to shiver and tremble.
"What're you doing out here, baka? Usamaro wouldn't want you to get sick because of him, and you know that." I state with a frown, and huff. She blinks a few times, and tears start to fill her eyes again as she starts to get up and smile, but instead she falls back onto the ground in a heap. I fall down with her and throw the umbrella away so I could catch her, so now she's sitting with her chin on my shoulder.
"I hate seeing you cry, ya know that?" I mumble against her shoulder, my head tilted up towards the sky. "When you're able to move forward from Usamaro, but not forget him, I'll let go of him too, but keep him here. He'll always be here with us, Onee-chan." I whisper to her, tears falling from my eyes and from the sky. I looked over to Koko, to see she was waiting for us, sniffling with the umbrella over her head. I just hugged Nat tighter, and held her close to me.
After a few moments of a silence, she finally spoke again.
"Arigatou, Onii-san."