"Huh," Rin murmured. "That's cool."

Hana stood holding a red stone sword posing like a valiant knight. His orange hat dangled around his neck, and the grin stretched across his face was unabashed.

"It's from my dad," the boy stated, striking another pose. "Mom said it's been in the family for generations."

Rin cocked her head slightly to the side and took another sip from the juice box in her hands. "So you do have a dad?"

Hana lowered the weapon to his side, frowning, and seemed to think about it for a second. Then he looked back up at the girl. "I don't know."

He hopped over to Rin's side and sat down next to her. The girl was now deep in thought, staring at the ground in front of her. The boy looked her over for a second before grabbing his hat and placing it on his head. The two sat in silence.

"Don't you see them?" The boy asked suddenly.

Rin looked up. The question wasn't a mean one; it was almost uncomfortably blunt. The girl looked deep into the boy's eyes, the slight pout on her lips only revealing that she was unsure.

"No," she said. "I don't think so."

Hana frowned. The statement wasn't a mean one; it was uncomfortably honest. There was something about the way that he looked that made Rin wish she could see "them," but at the same time it felt as if there was some force acting between her and the boy that she couldn't control. More silence passed between them. Hana placed the tip of the sword into the dirt and began to draw lines.

Rin's eyes grew wide. She reached over, and the boy quickly snatched the sword out of the dirt. He glared at her in confusion.

"You should take good care of it if it's from your dad," she said firmly.

Hana stared blankly at her for a second before grinning wildly. Then he grabbed the edge of his jacket and began wiping the blade.

"You're right," he said, beaming. "I'm going to take the best care of it ever."

Rin smiled as the boy began humming and cleaning the sword. He was almost laughing to himself. She sipped her juice and looked up at the sky.

A few hours later Daikichi and Tamao were standing outside of the school panting. The caretaker called to the two children who were sitting on the patio. Hana ran up to Daikichi and swung the red stone sword at the man's thigh.

"Ouch!" Daikichi exclaimed dramatically, clutching his thigh.

Rin laughed, and so did Tamao. That's when Daikichi realized it actually hurt. He inhaled deeply, trying to keep back tears. He looked down at Hana, who of course looked absolutely shameless. Daikichi let out a loud cough and straightened himself up.

"Let's go now," he grumbled.

Rin looked up at him curiously as they walked or hobbled down the street. The man swore he was going to get that little punk someday. Why in the world had that woman let a child like Hana have a sword? Suddenly Rin stopped.

Daikichi looked up to see Hana and Tamao were both looking towards the playground across the street. Rin tugged Daikichi's sleeve.

"Can we go there?"

Daikichi looked from the girl to the playground. It was dark outside, but it seemed fine.

"Do you really want to?" he asked.

The girl nodded.

"Hey," the man called at the still staring Hana and Tamao. At that moment the two seemed to awaken from some sort of trance. Tamao glanced back at him.

"Yes?"

He nodded towards the playground. "Rin and I are going to go over there. Do you want to go too?"

The woman stared at him blankly for a moment. Her eyes were dark and mysterious beneath the street lamp. Daikichi once again got the feeling that there was something strange about her, but it wasn't anything he could say was physical.

"I want to go," Hana stated loudly.

Daikichi gave Rin a smile and grabbed her hand firmly. "Then here we go!"

Hana and Rin climbed up and around the slides, chatting as the boy pointed at different things. A few yards away Daikichi and Tamao had found a nice bench underneath a tree. The man was hunched forward while the woman sat poised with her hands in her lap.

"So what's up with you two?" Daikichi said softly.

The pink haired woman barely reacted to the question at all.

"What do you mean?"

Daikichi shrugged in an attempt to play off the invasive question. "You look really young, that's all."

"Oh."

Daikichi glanced back at her. The woman glanced forward at him.

"I'm nineteen, if you were wondering," she said giving him a slight smile.

Daikichi's jaw dropped. He wasn't positive it physically did, but inside his mind it was touching the ground. Tamao laughed.

"I'm sorry Daikichi-san. Did I shock you?" the young woman chimed.

"Don't be smug," Daikichi muttered, feeling his pride crumbling within him. Then realization hit him. "Wait! Then that means-!"

Tamao gently shook her head, issuing a sigh of relief from the man. Then she looked off towards where Hana and Rin were now arguing over something in the dirt. "He's not mine."

"You didn't kidnap him did you?" Daikich asked, actually beginning to feel concerned.

Tamao laughed again, her voice like a bell. Then her eyes became distant. "He's my friend's," she sighed. "They left him in my care one day, and I've been raising him ever since."

Dakichi studied her face silently. He was mystified by how grown up this young woman seemed to be. "And you did it all by yourself?"

The woman smiled. "Don't worry; I wouldn't change things for the world."

Daikichi looked back at the kids in the distance. "Does he know?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Eventually," she said. "He doesn't need to know right now."

The logic seemed sound enough to Daikichi. After all, he hadn't been doing it for the longest time, but he did understand the strange feeling of raising another's child. He sighed.

"How long have you been with Rin?" Tamao asked, shifting to a more relaxed position.

Daikichi looked over his shoulder at her. "How did you know?"

The woman lifted her eyebrows and seemed to suppress a bit of a laugh. The man felt a twinge of annoyance in the back of his mind.

"She calls you by your first name," she said. "I'm sorry. I wasn't meaning to judge."

The tension left Daikichi's shoulders and he looked down at the ground in front of him. "To be honest it's only been a few months now."

"Seriously?"

Daikichi looked up to see the woman's mouth agape. Her eyes were wide with surprise. He smiled, feeling a strange amount of uncertainty about her reaction. "What?"

"It's just you two seem so comfortable together," the woman sputtered. "I was expecting it to be at least a year or two."

Daikichi rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. "Really?"

Tamao nodded.

They both turned back to the kids. Hana was swinging his sword around while Rin sat slumped against one of the slides.

"Rin looks tired," Daikichi noted.

"You should take her home," Tamao whispered.

Daikichi stared at her. Her eyes glistened with some unknown wistfulness. He wanted to tell her that it was fine, but he could sense that he should take her advice. He sighed and stood.

"Rin!" he called. The girl looked back at him, lids half closed. "Let's go home."

Rin slowly stood and meandered over to him. Hana suddenly stopped what he was doing.

"Do you want me to carry you, or do you want to walk by yourself?" Daikichi asked the swaying girl, gently.

"Walk," she muttered.

Daikichi grabbed her hand and began to lead her towards the street.

"Rin! Where are you going?" Hana yelled after them.

"They're going to sleep," Tamao told the boy sharply. "Like you should be."

"Awwwww…"

The two then began bickering.

Daikichi shook his head. They were really an odd bunch. Though, it was nice to know he wasn't the only one in his situation.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you," he whispered to the girl.

"Mhm," she wearily replied.

Daikichi smiled. Who knew what tomorrow would bring?