Hello all! So since my Finder fic "Cat & Cat" is two chapters from being finished, I decided to let this plot bunny take off and write a couple I haven't done very much: Terrorist. And I've had a big hankering to do something completely different.

Now while this piece is going to contain fluff and both aspects of hurt/comfort, this is not going to be a happy story.

HEAVY WARNINGS INCLUDE: Under aged prostitution, drug abuse, domestic violence, crime.

Basically, if any of you have read Don't Preach's "The Escort," we're talking that kind of dark.

But despite the path we are about to embark on, I hope to hear what all of you think.

This story starts before Shinobu confesses his love to Miyagi. I'm basically doing a twist on the canon meeting and the progression with an altered setting.

As always, thank you for reading!

The Bird

Children of the Tempest

By TBF101

Chapter 1

An Unexpected Meeting

Miyagi Yoh brought the coffee cup to his lips, taking a sip of the steaming liquid before glancing at his watch again. He sat at a small coffee shop not far from the university, and the table he had snagged he had a clear view of the door, which he vigilantly kept his eyes on. However, he had been waiting for at least fifteen minutes and was growing irritated.

That kid is late, he thought with a sigh. A wisp of annoyance flared up in his emotions, but it soon went out.

Well, I was the one who asked him to meet me on such short notice. Then again, I didn't even really want to get involved. Damn it all.

Miyagi took another swig of coffee, longing for the cigarettes in his coat pocket. On top of a busy week of classes, meetings, and fucking with Kamijou, Miyagi had to endure a couple trying encounters. One was with the lawyer handling his late parents' bequeathed estate, one with his sullen landlord to fix his broken heater, and the other was his ex-wife Risako. He had made the grave mistake of going to see her to retrieve some DVDs he had lent her and was forced into listening to her woes for two hours. It didn't help that she wasn't entirely sober.

And when the topic drifted to someone else, Miyagi made his second mistake of asking about it.

"It's Shinobu," she had said. "I found out recently that he's dropping out of high school and I think he's making a huge mistake."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?" Miyagi asked.

"Yes, but he won't listen to me. He's far too stubborn for me to persuade."

From there, the conversation escalated to into Risako begging Miyagi to meet up with Shinobu and convince him to change his mind. He was an educator after all and Shinobu would respect that more than her opinion.

Yeah fucking right, Miyagi had thought sourly. She's just afraid to handle a difficult situation. Big surprise.

Their divorce had been finalized nearly nine months ago, but it was becoming obvious that Risako was trying to weasel her way back into his life, which was greatly vexing. After all that talk with the counselor about how it was for the best and they need to take another look at their own individual selves. The fact of the matter was that those selves were incompatible. Their issues had jumped out of the suitcase and attacked the moment they moved in together. One person with a distinct set of issues was enough, but two had the result of a supreme shit storm. Frankly, Miyagi had no desire to reconcile at this point. He was ready to move on. But she was already having a meltdown in a few measly months, and it was exhausting to go through again.

But Miyagi found himself more annoyed than angry with her. He knew it wasn't Risako's fault she was like that, or at least not all her fault. Three years ago, both of her parents had been killed in a car accident, and she had never recovered from it. What was worse, the only way she knew how to deal with it was hidden at the bottom of a wine glass. Miyagi's own shadows only made hers darker, and before they knew it, they were both in an abyss of a marriage.

Miyagi shook himself out of these thoughts, knowing he needed to stop before he abandoned his post for a light up. He tapped his fingers irritably on the table and sighed.

Oh, grow a pair already. It's not even that bad, he reasoned with himself. I'll have a quick meeting with the kid, and wash my hands of this entire mess. Problem solved.

The bell above the door suddenly dinged and the counter girl called out in greeting as a young man came inside. He pulled his rain drenched hood off his head, revealing a short mop of honey-blond hair. He went over to the counter and ordered a drink, then scanned the shop till he spotted Miyagi against the back wall. Miyagi smiled in greeting, but honestly, he was a little shocked at how Shinobu looked. It certainly had been a while, and he had changed.

The youth's clothes seemed to hang off him in a way that indicated he was a little too thin, his wet shoes were worn to the sole, and his jeans were all ripped up. Not only that, but his face was gaunt and pale, and purplish bags framed his lower eyelids. In all honesty, he looked like he belonged in a sketchier part of the city.

Shinobu's lips pulled into a half smile at Miyagi and he paid for his coffee and came over.

"Miyagi-san," he said as he dipped his chin. "It's been a while. I was surprised to hear from you."

"It's good to see you, Shinobu-chin. How are you doing?"

"Fine," Shinobu replied, sitting down in the seat across from Miyagi. He set his messenger bag down and wrapped his cold hands around his steaming mug to warm them up. "So, why did you want to meet with me?"

"Well, ahem," Miyagi said, clearing his throat. This kid sure liked to skip to the point. "I, uh spoke with your sister recently…"

Miyagi inwardly sighed as Shinobu's cloudy grey eyes darkened into a storm. From what he had gathered, Shinobu and Risako had an extremely strained relationship that was probably more irreparable than his marriage.

"She says you're thinking about dropping out of school."

Shinobu's eyes lowered to his drink, and he picked it up to take a sip. "I'm not thinking anymore. I've already decided to."

"May I ask why?"

"I can't handle both my studies and my job. If I try to both it'll just result in double the failure."

"I see. Do you work that many hours?"

"I have to or I can't afford my rent."

Miyagi's brow furrowed. "I thought you were living with your aunt. She makes you pay rent?"

Shinobu cocked his head, looking just as confused. "My aunt passed away over two years ago. I support myself now."

"I didn't know that," Miyagi replied, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Once again, this was fast turning into a shit storm and if he didn't jump ship soon, he had a feeling he'd have to get involved. There was nothing he would hate more. But all the same, he persevered. He briefly thought about asking Shinobu if Risako could help him out with money, but he had a feeling that would just make things worse. So he tried another approach.

"Well, couldn't you talk to your teachers and see if they could make accommodations for you since you're supporting yourself?"

Shinobu averted his gaze again. "I can't. We're not allowed to have jobs and if I told them about it, I'd be in deep shit."

"It'd be a better option than dropping out. If you quit school now, it'll be exceedingly hard to get back into when you need it. Don't you only have one year left anyways?"

"It's pointless for me to go to school when I just end up sleeping all through class and don't have any time for the homework," Shinobu replied. "My teachers have had it with me, not to mention my guidance counselor. I'll save them all the trouble and just drop out."

Miyagi's forehead wrinkled as he pondered Shinobu's troubling words. It set off more than one alarm bell in his scholarly head, and his spirit was getting riled. Even still, he kept cool and took another sip of coffee.

"Is your job really that taxing?"

Shinobu's expression fell and he began to rifle through his coat pocket for his phone distractedly. "Uh, yeah. The hours can be pretty long and sometimes I don't get a lot of sleep."

"Couldn't you ask your boss for accommodation then?"

"I doubt it," Shinobu snorted, tapping away at the screen on his phone. "Besides, I told you I need the money."

The teen then set down his phone and rested his elbows on the table. He looked like he was trying to figure out what to say.

"Look, Miyagi-san," he finally blurted out. "I…I really appreciate you trying to help me and all, but my hands are pretty much tied. I'll finish school once my situation is a little more stable. It's understandable, isn't it?"

"It is, but it's also incredibly unfortunate," Miyagi replied. "You're too young to be making decisions like this on your own."

Shinobu's lips tightened and Miyagi could tell he was getting pissed. Risako had shown him the same expression many, many times before the lightning struck.

"I'm not that young," Shinobu muttered. "I'll be eighteen soon. I could even join the military if I wanted to."

"The military wouldn't take a dropout."

Shinobu's mouth twisted into a snarl when Miyagi calmly retorted. He was very tempted to leave at this point, but took a deep breath and forced his anger down. He wasn't about to let his temper ruin this. It was an unexpected and amazing gift to be able to see Miyagi again, and Shinobu was going to relish it. Even if it also royally pissed him off.

Seeing he was getting Shinobu a little more agitated than was ideal, Miyagi backed off and gave the teen a lop-sided smile.

"Hey Shinobu-chin, do me a favor will you? Don't make any decisions yet. Think things over for a week or so and just make sure this is what you really want, okay? Will you do that for me?"

Shinobu's expression shifted again and for a second the teen's grey doe eyes looked slightly moist. But Shinobu quickly dropped his gaze, scratching at the chipping finish the on old wooden table with his thumbnail.

"Why are you doing this for me?" he asked quietly.

"Well," Miyagi said, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to come up with something that at least sounded convincing. "I just hate to see potential wasted. I know you're a sharp kid."

Shinobu's eyes went wide and Miyagi was surprised to see a light blush coloring his cheeks. He inwardly chuckled. This kid clearly wasn't as hardcore as the thought he was, though it was entertaining to watch.

But Shinobu finally nodded and got up from his chair. "Okay. I'll think about it."

"Good lad," Miyagi smiled. He took a sticky pad out of his briefcase and scribbled down a brief note. "Here's my cell number. Let me know how it goes."

Shinobu's blush deepened and he accepted the sticky note with both hands. "I…I will."

Miyagi nodded. "It was nice to see you again."

Shinobu looked away, grabbing his shoulder bag and stuffing the note into his coat pocket. "Yeah, nice to see you too. I have to get going. I have to work in a few hours."

"All right, I won't keep you. See you later," Miyagi said, taking a newspaper out of his briefcase and flipping to the sports section.

Shinobu left the shop in a hurry and shivered as he went back out into the damp winter air. He huddled deeper into his oversized coat, sticking his hands into his pockets. And when he felt the note that Miyagi had given him, a sad, tiny smile crossed his face. Miyagi's words echoed in his mind, and Shinobu bowed his head against the pressure of the oncoming wind.

Potential? It's a little too late for that, Miyagi.

"Oy, Shinobu! Get the lead out," a youth just a little bit bigger than Shinobu called from a worn-out lumpy couch in a dimly-lit living room. Muffled footsteps hurried down the hall and Shinobu appeared, slipping into a sweater and grabbing his coat from the hall closet.

"Sorry," he replied. "I had a hard time covering it up."

The other youth dipped his walnut-brown head in reply and popped an unlit cigarette between his lips as they shrugged on their coats and headed out the door into the cold night. They walked almost a dozen blocks in the frosty air towards a part of town that was glowing with bright lights and signs. The brunet boy reached over and took Shinobu's hand, and as he whispered low words into Shinobu's ear, the blond swallowed hard. After seeing Miyagi today and having a taste of happiness, it was even harder to come back here, but it had to be done nonetheless.

My hands are tied, Shinobu thought listlessly as he and the other boy headed into the neon fire.