Takeshi slides open a door and ushers you into the brightly lit room.
You look around the empty room.
A tall older man with a rag in his hands comes from behind the counter. He looks like an older Takeshi but the sharpness in his eyes is more pronounced. The man looks at Takeshi and you and begins to speak. Takeing steps closer to the two of you all the while. He's only a few feet away when you realize that you'd been leaning back and the only thing that is keeping you from moving back is Takeshi's arm around your shoulder.
You don't like the sharpness in the older mans eyes.
"Pops, this is Tsuna's little sister." Takeshi says.
"Ah, sorry Child." The man laughs sheepishly. "I usually don't speak italian often so it usually comes out as Japanesse."
You just stare at him, the sharpness hasn't left.
You aren't speaking until it does.
"My names Tsuyoshi, I'm this brats Dad." Tsuyoshi says, smiling at his son.
"Ma Ma Pops, your gonna give her a bad impression of me." Takeshi says, a pout on his face.
Tsuyoshi lets out a loud laugh. "You mean you haven't already?" The sharpness in his eyes finally dissappears and you relax slightly. "Come on I'll get you something to drink."
"I've got it Pops. I'll grab you something too." Takeshi says releasing you and walking towards a door behind the counter. You follow him, not wanting to be alone with Tsuyoshi. "Go ahead and take a seat at the counter, I'll be right back." He tells you and you nod. Glancing at Tsuyoshi out of the corner your eye as you do what he said.
"So Takeshi's told me alot about you." Tsuyoshi says, sitting a few chairs away from you. You keep your head down, keeping him in your sight but not looking at him.
How? He doesn't know anything about me.
"Granted it's very vauge. But he's learning."
You can't help but glance more fully at the older man in confusion. Before lowering your eyes back to the counter.
"You see, my Takeshi is a very good judge of character." Tsuyoshi continues. "He watches you and he sees that you are a good person. I trust that. And as long as Takeshi thinks you are, you are always welcome in my house."
Your head snaps toward him in shock. He's smiling and his eyes are soft.
Why?
Why do these people think your good? Why do they pretend to care? You're a bad person. You have killed before.
"I'm back~" Takeshi calls as he walks back through the door. "I called Tsuna to let him know that we'll be staying here for a few hours. If that's alright Pops?"
"Always a pleasure to spend more time with my boy." Tsuyoshi says, a smile brightening up his eyes.
Takeshi smiles back at him, placing a glass of water in front of you and Tsuyoshi.
"Do you need help putting your brace back on? You shouldn't have been running without a brace." He asks you and you pause.
You had honestly forgotten about the brace.
You shake your head as you reach into your jacket. settling yourself on the floor. Sliding the brace on and clumsily doing up the straps over your foot.
"Are you sure you don't need help?" Takeshi asks, crouching down infrount of you.
You shake your head as you tie the strap.
"Do you need help putting the bandages back on your face?"
"I'm not gonna." You say quietly as you stand back up, Takeshi follows you up.
"Not going to put them back on?"
You shake your head.
"Why not?"
"They itch."
Takeshi shrugs. "Can't argue with that."
"Takeshi, you shouldn't encourage her. The cuts could get infected." Tsuyoshi scolds.
"They won't get infected." You say quietly, speaking to Tsuyoshi for the first time.
"You don't know that."
"I do, cuts usually turn within the first four days. It's been eight days since I got them, they won't get worse."
"Plus I figured she'll get scolded by Hayato. Thats enough punishment." Takeshi says and you scowl. The men laugh. "See, she knows what I'm talking about."
Takeshi and Tsuyoshi start talking and your content to not have to talk and just stare at the counter.
The past few days are the most you've talked in a long time.
And you mean actually talked.
Not because your threatening anyone.
Or because your being threatened.
But because you could talk.
It was strange and it hurt your throat.
Takeshi fights a smile as he sees the girl -very- slowly start to relax.
The kids cute.
Not as cute as Hayato -but then no one was- but she was close.
"I see what you mean, Takeshi." Tsuyoshi says in Japanesse, about ten minutes into their talk they switched back to Japanesse. The girl hadn't been paying attention to them so she didn't even twitch. Just kept scaning the room or taking small sips of the water Takeshi set infront of her.
"About how she's a good person, she just doesn't know it yet? Or that she's cautious but like Tsuna you can feel her strength?"
"Both."
"She was scared of me for the first ten or so minutes."
Takeshi nods. "She's scared of most people. Kids, she's ok with. But I think she's also a little shy."
Both Yamamotos pause as she blinks and looks at the door. A strange look crossing her face before she shakes her head and settles back down.
"What was that about?" Takeshi asks her. She looks at him, sliver-blue eyes confused.
"I thought I felt something move but I guess not." She says, eyes slipping past him as she stares at the room. "Can I sit somewhere else? This room is very...open right here."
Takeshi nods. "No problem, you can sit where ever you like. Just take your water with you so you can drink something.
The girl nods and takes her glass and sits in a nearby corner table. Back to the wall, eyes scanning the room constantly.
"Did you feel anything move?" Takeshi asks, eyes sharp as he scans the room.
"No." Tsuyoshi says slowly. "But you told me the child has a Flame Surpresser, right?"
"Yeah."
"Could it just be that her flames are trying to get through it?"
Takeshi shrugs. "I don't know, I was told that the bracelets cut you off from your flames completely. I've had one on before, they do and it hurts."
"Could she just be reacting to the pain?"
Takeshi nods. "She could but I think she is better at managing her pain then that, I guess we'll have to wait to figure her out."
"She's asleep." Takeshi tells Tsuna over the phone two hours later.
"But it's only seven." Tsuna says, bewilderment -and slight amusement- lacing his voice. "Granted she is recovering."
"Pops said she can sleep over here tonight so that we don't have to wake her up."
"Thank you Takeshi, tell Tsuyoshi-san I said thanks as well."
"Will do Tsuna."
"We'll see you tomarrow. Be safe comeing home."
"We will, don't worry."
"Don't ask the impossible Takeshi." Tsuna says, laughing lightly.
"Did you make any progress with the names?"
"We think theres a few she'll like, but with her you never know."
"True. Any information on our Dragon?"
"Nothing good." Is Tsuna's short reply. "Reborn said that it's bad. And that he was gonna wait until everyones here because he isnt going to say anything twice."
"That sounds ominous."
"That's what I told him."
"It'll be ok Tsuna. We'll work it out, we always do."
"I know Takeshi."
Takeshi glances at the sleeping girl. "I'm gonna let you go, I should probably get the kid upstairs. If she sleeps like that much longer she'll get crick."
"Ok Takeshi, be careful tomarrow. Please."
"Always Tsuna."
The line goes dead and Takeshi smiles. Tsuna's such a worry wart.
"I take it everythings ok on the other side?" Tsuyoshi asks and Takeshi nods.
"Yeah, they've set up decoys and spread some false information to throw them off the scent. But Reborn doesn't want to say it twice so he's waiting till we're all together." Takeshi says walking over to the girl. She leaning back in the seat, head tilted awkwardly to the side. Face twitching every few minutes as she dreams.
Takeshi is kind of surprised when she doesn't wake up as he picks up. He shouldn't be surprised at how light she is. She rarely eats more then a few bites during meals. Going pale and faintly green after a few bites.
Not to mention how skinny she is.
He easily takes her upstairs and disposits her gently onto his bed. Covering her with his blankets. Takeshi pulls out a futon for when he's ready to sleep and pulls out his summer homework. Sitting in the doorway -so the light doesn't wake up the girl- works on his homework.
FIVE HOURS LATER
"Settle down you little brat!"
" Let go!"
"Stop thrashing!"
"You said you were wanted to help! Why are you hurting us?!"
"We are helping, ourselves. Now stop moving or
this will hurt more then it already will."
"NO! Let go! I don't want you to touch me!"
"Might as well give up kid, you aren't getting away."
You wake with a gasp, thrashing on something soft. You pant and shudder as you take deep breaths. The room you in is barely lit, but you can see Takeshi is on the floor next to the bed.
Shakily you climb off the bed, almost falling in a heap on the ground. You pull on the thin bed thing that Takeshi is sleeping on until he's almost under the bed. You get on your hands and knees and worm under the bed. Jerkily tugging Takeshi and his bed thing under with you.
Is he really that deep of a sleeper?
After he's as far under the bed as you can get him you worm your way onto his other side. Wincing as you accidently hit him with your knee.
The walls on one side of him and you are on the other, but both of you are still under the bed.
"They won't get you." You say queitly, voice trembling. Eyes trained on the door, a small sliver of light coming through the bottom. "They won't get you like they did me. I won't let them."
"They won't get you. They won't get you like they did me. I won't let them."
Takeshi stares at the top of his bed.
What did the kid mean by that?
Just what happened to her?
He'd woken within seconds at the first of the kids thrashing.
But then, so did she.
The kid's eyes are so gaurded, he doesn't want it to get worse.
So he stayed quiet and 'asleep' while she calmed herself down. Though he'd almost asked her what she was doing when she started tugging him under his bed.
How she thought he was still asleep after nearly kneeing him in his area as she climbed over him to get to the other side of the bed, he doesn't know.
Takeshi looks at the kids slumped form.
She didn't fall back asleep until Takeshi had used his flames to calm her down to the point of falling asleep -he'd only ment to calm her down but she fell asleep a few minutes later- then he'd put his blanket over her and gently placed his pillow under her head. He would've put his futon under her but he figured that even with Rain flames calmning her she might freak out.
He'd gladly sleep under his bed if it made the kid feel safer.
He'd tell Tsuna about the scars he saw on the kid arms tomarrow. Scars werent something you talked about over the phone.
Takeshi shuts his eyes.
He might as well get some sleep too, something tells him tomarrow wont be as easy as today.
You jerk awake.
You weren't supposed to fall asleep.
You were supposed to protect Takeshi while he slept!
How could you do that to him?
You wince as you accidently hit the bottom of Takeshi's bed.
You let out an irritated grunt as you slowly start to wiggle out from under Takeshi's bed.
"I'm glad your finally awake."
You jerk and try to stand up.
Only to slam into the edge of Takeshi's bed.
You let out a hiss.
Freezing as Takeshi easily moves you out from under the bed -getting out as well- picking you and placing you on the bed.
"Are you ok?"
You stare at Takeshi with wide eyes.
"Kid?" Confusion and concern cover his face.
"You...move fast."
Takeshi blinks and laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"You didn' first time you startled me, the second time you didn't." Slips out before you can stop it.
Takeshi's smile get bigger. "I didn't? Great!"
"I guess."
"You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"No."
"Good."
"Well we can grab a bite to eat before heading over to Tsunas'. We have time."
You look down.
You just wanted to go.
It didn't matter where, you just wanted it to be over.
A/N:
I promise you we will eventually get somewhere.
eventually.
Hopefully within the next few.
Anywho love yall have a good day
