Chapter 2
Coming from the illustrious Chinese Yan-Jian Family before marrying into the equally notorious Hibari clan, there is very little that can faze Lei.
It just so happens that the tiny girl sitting in front of her is one of them.
She sets her cup down gently before reaching for the teapot. "There is only one orphanage in Namimori, and it is on the other side of town. It is… not a pleasant place."
The Namimori Hope Orphanage is housed in an old, rundown building on the southern outskirts of town. The matron, while well meaning, is old and tired and simply cannot keep up with the many hellions running wild.
Harry freezes in her seat, and even Lei has to strain to hear her whisper, "But I don't have anywhere to go."
Beside her, Kyoya shifts, tired of a conversation he does not understand. Lei cards a hand through his hair, thankful that her son is beside her, safe and unharmed and loved. Even as he swats her hand away grumpily, Lei restrains a smile and thanks Kami that Kyoya wasn't hurt – or killed- by those boys from…
The orphanage!
Now that she remembers that fact, she cannot, in good conscience, let Harry go to the orphanage. Tiny, fragile Harry who attacked a boy to save Kyoya; tiny, fragile Harry whom the same group of boys will surely attack if she goes to the orphanage.
Something inside her aches at the thought. What to do?
Then Lei realizes that even though Kyoya usually escapes to train the moment he finishes eating, he is still seated at the table, staring at Harry like she holds the answer to all of life's questions.
She smiles. "Harry," Lei says, pausing until her guest looks up. "I have a proposition for you."
-x- -x- -x-
Harry didn't think anyone could be as troublesome as Dudley.
She was so, so wrong.
As she watches Kyoya move from tree jumping to simulating toy dinosaur wars (complete with roaring and fake blood!) to attacking straw dummies with his metal sticks, all in the courtyard within the span of an hour, Harry resists the urge to wail. Kyoya is clearly the unholy offspring of a demon king from the deepest pits of hell and a monkey-vampire hybrid.
This thought is further reinforced when Kyoya somehow escapes over the three-meter high brick wall. Harry thinks, as she scrambles to climb a tree and follow him out the compound, that as much as she is getting out of the deal, it is almost more trouble than it is worth.
"Kyoya is precious to me," Mrs Hibari states without preamble. "I wish for him to be happy, but I fear he is lonely and has few friends."
Harry looks on silently, unsure of what reaction is expected of her but so very jealous of Kyoya for having a mother who loves him.
"Would you consider staying with us? We would provide you with your own room, of course, education, meals and we can discuss your salary later. In exchange, I ask only that you be his friend, and keep him out of trouble as far as possible."
Harry gapes as Mrs Hibari smiles in amusement, the curve of her lips making her look younger and more approachable. "I… I don't know how to be a friend," she says at last, "I've never had friends before."
This makes Mrs Hibari's smile disappear and her eyes soften. "It is of no consequence, Harry. I am not asking for anything more than your best effort, and friendships are always different. Never having had friends before does not mean you never will have them or that you will be a bad friend."
Mrs Hibari seems sincere, and something in Harry tells her that Kyoya will be a wonderful friend, despite his possible tendency to attract bullies and general grumpiness. The hope in her chest grows from an ember to a roaring fire, and she prays that this time, it will last.
"I… yes. I will." Harry emphasizes her statement with a firm nod, and looking at Mrs Hibari's bright smile and Kyoya's fidgety confusion, thinks wistfully that despite knowing them for all of two hours, this is the closest thing to a family that she's ever had.
-x- -x- -x-
Lei watches in amusement as Kyoya escapes his own mathematics lesson to hijack Harry's Japanese class. She's never seen him act this way before, so interested in someone who, by all rights, should be considered a herbivore in Kyoya's new language.
"Yakiniku," Kyoya asserts solemnly as he points to a picture of a cow. Harry repeats after him dutifully, stumbling over the unfamiliar word and intonation. The tutor, ignored by both children since Kyoya's entrance, gapes in horror but seems resigned, having taught Kyoya before.
Lei stifles a laugh as Kyoya tells Harry that the tutor is a herbivore that should be bitten to death, and she just nods earnestly and mimics his favorite words. She really should chase him out, or Harry will probably never learn anything correctly, but the gleam of mischief in his eyes is altogether too rare, so Lei sits back and looks on fondly.
Just for today, she thinks.
-x- -x- -x-
Mrs Hibari was true to her word, Harry thinks again as she sits on her bed. Her new room is bigger than both of Dudley's rooms combined, and she doesn't have to sleep on a pile of thin, worn blankets anymore. She's fed three meals a day at least, and she doesn't even have to cook!
She doesn't know how long this deal will last or when she will be turned out onto the streets again, but until then, she soaks in all the knowledge offered and collects all the money she is given like a dragon sitting atop its hoard, in preparation for that day.
Nothing good lasts forever. The Dursleys have taught her that much, at least.
-x- -x- -x-
"Kyoya is a year older than you," Mrs Hibari tells her. "He will be going to school in the mornings from next month onwards. Classes are all in Japanese so you will have to stay here and work with a private tutor instead."
Harry nods. "Thank you," she whispers.
Mrs Hibari puts her hand on her shoulder and her smile makes her eyes crinkle up. "Once your Japanese is passable you will be going to school as well, so please do your best!"
-x- -x- -x-
Kyoya leaves early every morning after breakfast, schoolbag slung over his shoulders and lunchbox packed neatly inside. Harry always walks him to the compound gate, and while no words are exchanged, it is a comfortable silence and Kyoya always acknowledges her with a nod before he walks out the gate.
Japanese classes are different and not what she is used to at all, but rather interesting all the same and Harry thinks she is doing rather well. Her teachers back in Surrey used to tell her that she was a very intelligent girl, before the Dursleys discovered she was outscoring Dudley in every area and forced her to start failing tests.
Her tutor is a middle-aged man she calls Yamato-san, who is nice but unfortunately boring. As he drones on about Japanese etiquette and culture, Harry dutifully copies important notes down in the pretty, flowered notebook that Mrs Hibari gave her and hopes that she can go to school with Kyoya soon.
-x- -x- -x-
Sometimes, when Harry's lessons are over and Kyoya still hasn't returned yet – "Patrolling," Mrs Hibari had mentioned fondly and Harry hadn't asked further- she goes exploring. The Japanese-styled manor is huge, and Harry still hasn't seen it in its entirety despite having stayed there for a few months.
On her last expedition the week before, she had found what Mrs Hibari called the dojo, all gleaming wooden floors and tall sliding doors. She hadn't gone in, not after seeing a shrine in the corner and various expensive-looking wall hangings, but she knew Kyoya spent quite a lot of time there.
This time, she starts walking from the dining room, taking a left then a right, pausing every few steps to admire a picture on the wall or the view out of a window. At the end of the hallway is an open door, from which the most amazing smells are emanating, so Harry tiptoes forward and peeks in.
The room is spacious and airy, with sliding doors that lead out to another garden. Gleaming appliances line the walls, and a large, wooden table surrounded by benches sits in the middle of the floor. Harry takes in the gleaming tiles and thinks, with a hint of wistfulness, that this kitchen is far better than the one back at Privet Drive.
"Can I help you?" A firm voice asks from right in front of her, and Harry startles violently, because how the heck did she not notice three people right in front of her?
"I'm sorry, I was just looking. My name is Harry, nice to meet you!" Harry bows, but can't resist glancing through her fringe at the people standing before her. Even though her accent is still very thick, and she can't say everything she wants to say, her pronunciation is acceptable and she can carry out simple conversations in Japanese now, which makes her very proud of herself.
The lady who had spoken to her bows in tandem with the other two, whom Harry recognizes as the head butler and the nice teenage girl who cleans her room and sometimes helps her with her homework. Once Harry straightens up, she introduces herself as one of the cooks Takeda Masako, the butler as Satou Hiroshi-san, and the girl as Minami Reiko-chan.
Harry introduces herself in turn and says that she is very pleased to meet them, although she is quite sure they already know of her, the odd little foreign girl that Mrs Hibari brought home one day and who never left in the end.
-x- -x- -x-
Takeda-san is a very nice person, Harry decides. She seems stern, but she always welcomes Harry into her domain, and doesn't mind answering Harry's questions or letting her help.
They are making green tea cookies today at Harry's request, and she is given a seat at the kitchen table, a square sheet of dough and a handful of cookie cutters shaped like suns and flowers and stars. She makes a few flowers for Mrs Hibari and herself, before picking through the small pile of animal shapes, finally choosing one and pressing it into the dough.
When she lifts the cookie cutter, there is a green lion sitting on the table. Harry smiles, pleased with her choice, and hopes that Kyoya will like it too.
She still has some dough left over, so she scrapes everything together and carefully cuts out a hand grenade, modeling it after one of Dudley's old toys, and carves in details with a pink plastic knife. Kyoya seems to revel in destruction, and what kind of friend would she be if she didn't support him?
-x- -x- -x-
Kyoya quite likes the girl his mother brought home. She managed to knock out that disruptive herbivore who tried to sneak up on him, and she's quiet, even though she can speak Japanese now. Kyoya appreciates silence, and is glad that she doesn't feel the need to squeal and cry and pinch his cheeks while cooing over how cute he is.
Because Kyoya is a man. A very manly man who is going to rule the world one day. 'World Domination' is in the books, but being 'cute' isn't.
He still doesn't know how to classify her though, because she does herbivorous things like baking cookies and messing up her kanji, but she doesn't feel like a weak herbivore. Maybe one day Okaa-san will let him fight her, and he will be able to figure out just how strong she is.
But for now, Kyoya is satisfied with studying and training together, even if she isn't as fast as him and can't really fight, and sometimes makes him do uncharacteristically herbivorous things like playing on the swings.
He thinks that this is what having a little sister must be like, and decides that he likes it very much.
-x- -x- -x-
Harry loves the swings. She'd never been able to try them before- she was always locked in her cupboard, doing chores, or in school. The one time Aunt Petunia brought her and Dudley to the Surrey Central Park, Dudley had hogged the swings and Harry had been made to stand under the three furthest to the picnic area for the whole two hours they were there.
Here in Namimori, she gets to run around and play with Kyoya, even though he always insists it is training, not playing. Although he clearly prefers the monkey bars and disciplining crowding herbivores, sometimes he will agree to push her on the swings or build a sand fortress with her. (Because castles are so lame.)
Kyoya is a lovely friend, even if he does cause a lot of trouble.
Harry is glad she got to meet him, and hopes desperately that he will still be her friend when she finally leaves.
-x- -x- -x-
The school year ends before Mrs Hibari decides that Harry's studies are good enough to go to school, but it is decided that she is definitely going once the new term starts.
Harry isn't quite sure how to feel about that. On one hand, it would be nice to learn things in an actual school and see other kids her age. On the other hand, she wouldn't be in the same class as Kyoya, and she hasn't really enjoyed school so far, what with Dudley's gang attacking her every recess and keeping all her prospective friends away.
But Mrs Hibari had the look, the one that said nothing was going to change her mind no matter what. Not even Kyoya has managed it, although his puppy dog eyes and pout are enough to make all other ladies, no matter their age, shove candy at him and fawn over his good looks and charm.
So Harry doesn't try to get out of going to Namimori Elementary, and glances at Kyoya instead, who rolls his eyes and snorts.
Harry smiles, because she can see the faintest traces of a smile on his lips, which tells her that he's glad she will be going to school with him.
-x- -x- -x-
Lei calls her husband that night, after both Kyoya and Harry have gone off to bed. He picks up on the first ring, as he always does.
"Lei." He sounds bored and stern, but she can hear the warm undertone that is present whenever he speaks to her.
"Ryusei." She smiles, although he can't see it, suddenly missing him desperately. He has been away for far too long, although she knows that the situation in China is one that requires his calm presence. Kyoya misses him as well, even if he will never say so, but the glares he sends at his father's empty seat at the table are all too telling.
They exchange stories, Ryusei detailing the problems on his side, and Lei sharing stories of Namimori, Kyoya, and the recent edition to their household. It is a while before her husband finally asks, "You have made your decision?"
Lei thinks of Harry, who keeps up with Kyoya and always has his back, who has never known friendship but tries her best. She thinks of childish laughter and smirks, an injury that destroyed a dream and a daughter she wished for but could never have.
"Yes," she breathes, as much her decision as her answer to his question. Ryusei, she knows, will understand.
There is a sigh, and the rustling of paper before Ryusei replies. "There should be no problems." Lei already knows this, because she has ways and of course she would have checked up on any of Kyoya's potential playmates. She had Harry researched even before breakfast was over, and even though some of the reports don't add up, she is a good judge of character and a few months is more than enough to make a decision.
Ryusei hums, because Lei is a very difficult woman to stop once she makes up her mind. "I want to meet her first," he says, because even though he trusts Lei and has come to like Harry through all the stories told, there is nothing like meeting someone face to face, and his instincts are one of the sharpest in the underground world.
"I would like that as well," is her reply, and Ryusei hears everything she does not say. I miss you. Kyoya misses you. Be safe. Come home.
"If all goes well, I will be back in May." He does not tell her that he misses home, misses her, and misses Kyoya as well, because that is not how the Hibari work. All he can offer is an unspoken promise to do his best to return as soon as possible, and it is more than enough.
-x- -x- -x-
Author's note:
Okay, so I was seriously blown away by the response. Thanks so much to everyone who read, followed or reviewed my story! There were so many great ideas, but unfortunately I can't use all ): I'm thinking of making a spinoff oneshot series with a bunch of different AUs though, so if you have anything you'd really like to see but I can't fit into this story, feel free to let me know and I'll try to work on it though it will probably take a long time._.
School's started so I'm probably going to get swamped with projects and readings soon, but I'll try to keep writing and maybe update once a month if possible. I actually had most of this chapter out before the new year, but I got sidetracked by a bunch of stuff. Oops.
If you have any suggestions or stuff you want to see, go ahead and let me know! I can't really make any promises, but I'll definitely do my best (: