Chapter one
Patty was never the type of person that easily accepted the help of others. She preferred working solo and on her own. But even she had to admit, that sometimes it was extremely lonely working on her own. So when she was ran away from yet another foster home, she never expected what happened next. No matter how many years passed, she could clearly remember the event and she would treasure that memory. A memory she would keep close to her heart.
It was a rather hot day, way over the normal average for the region. The runaway's blue eyes watched the families around her as she hid from the beating sun. From her perch in the tree, she could see the happy faces and hear the cheerful laughter of children around her age. As her eyes wandered over the park filled with people, she couldn't help but note the food that surrounded her. How she longed to sink her teeth in some tasty Oden.
A growl erupted from her stomach as she sat, drool pooling in her mouth as she thought of her most favorite food in the world. The child pulled out her wallet to see if she had enough to even afford. A sigh left her lips as she saw nothing but some mint and a pair of purple ribbons. Tucking the wallet, the girl frowned and continued watching.
The leaves around her danced in the warm summer air, making a low whistleling noise. Beams of sun leaked through the green rough of the small perch. A squirrel chattered on a near by branch. Its tawny eyes glued on the small girl that sat in the tree. The squirrel wasn't the only one that had took not of the strange child in the tree so far above the ground.
"Hey! Little Girl! It's against park policies to be climbing the trees," a voice called out from below, followed by an annoyed sigh. Patty looked down to see two men standing below the tree. One was dressed in a nice dress shirt and black slacks, his hair was blonde and his eyes were blue (though with a hint of green). He had a stern look on his face.
The other man had long purple hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. His dark eyes where sharp as a sword, and just as cold. The man looked far more casual then the other man, dressed in a plain T-Shirt and Shorts. He looked rather annoyed by the blonde haired male.
"You and your damn rules, lighten up would ya?" the long haired man muttered to himself before looking up at the girl. "It's dangerous for a child to be up there, come down before you fall!" Patty frowned slightly before jumping from her perch in the tree, to the ground below. The blonde moved back, obviously startled by the actions of the small child before looking at her with worry.
"Are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself from that jump?" the blonde inquired worriedly. His friend sighed and shook his head before kneeling down to the girl's level. His dark eyes softened slightly as he calmly spoke to the young blonde.
"Can you tell us where your parents are?" the male asked her, a small smile on his face. The child looked up at him, her eyes betrayed no emotion what so ever. Like a sea, so deep and vast yet always hiding it's secrets from unwanted vistors. Eyes that seemed calm yet held the ability to become a hurricane.
Without even batting an eye, the child smiled. Her eyes slid shut as she moved forwards slightly, her hands clasped behind her back as she walked. She rwirled slightly to face them. Her carefree demeanor never faltered as she spoke.
"Dead."
.
Yuri had wanted nothing more then a nice day at the park. Walk around with Flynn and enjoy the warmth of the sun over head. What he hadn't want was Flynn going 'Mr. Knight' on some child that he saw in the tree. He had to admit the child was pretty high up in that tree for it to be considered safe for her size.
He let out an annoyed sigh as Flynn yelled at the child in the tree. His dark eyes casted upwards at the child, dressed only in a floral sundress and ragedy sneakers. Her twin braids resed to her side as she held a small smile on her round face.
"You and your damn rules, lighten up would ya?" Yuri muttered in annoyance to himself before looking up at the girl. "It's dangerous for a child to be up there, come down before you fall!" The child's smile fell from a smile to a frown. Her eyes fell slightly before she slid of the branch and plummeted to the ground, landing with a hint of grace.
Her twin pig tails bounced slightly as she stood. Her small hands running over the fabric of her dress, dusting it off. She looked up at them, a hint of caution filling her sea blue eyes.
"Are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself from that jump?" Flynn 'mothered' slightly. Yuri sighed and shook his head before kneeling down to the girl's level. His features softened slightly as a gentle not filled his voice.
"Can you tell us where your parents are?" he softly asked. The child looked up at him, her eyes betrayed no emotion what so ever. Yuri felt a small pang as he remembered that look, remembered eyes that once looked at him so many years ago.
Without even batting an eye, the child smiled. Her eyes slid shut as she moved forwards slightly, her hands clasped behind her back as she walked. She rwirled slightly to face them. Her carefree demeanor never faltered as she spoke.
"Dead."
Yuri felt Flynn flinch beside him. The girl was just another orphan that wandered the streets with no place to call home. There were to many orphans in this world for Yuri's liking. It wasn't fair for a child to grow up without a parent. The man stood to his feet and walked to the girl.
"I'm Yuri Lowell. How about we get you something to eat?"
The girl's eyes lit up as if a millon Noctiluca scintillans* had begun to glow in her eyes. Her smile was a wide as the sea and as warm as the sun as she followed Yuri to a nearby stand. Flynn followed behind, a smile on his face as he watched the small girl happly walk beside the purple haired guy.
Noctiluca scintillans- Also known as sea sparkle, bioluminescent plankton that float under the surface of the water and flash brightly when disturbed
A/N: This is a slight spin off of the oneshot Freeloader.
