Guild Master here again, again.

This is the prelude with Toga's and Haru's past being revealed.

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Gamemastersden and then .com

guildmastersden and then .com

Afternoons were starting to stretch on quite a bit as the middle of the year was approaching. Still not quite hot enough for it to be summer in full with the cool spring air still lingering just enough to keep the days fair. A little girl was wandering outside in the neighborhood of her home with a little sparrow she found dead. Her parents admonished the young child and demanded that she get rid of the pretty little creature and to not do something so abnormal ever again. Children don't have a solid concept of when something was hurting them emotionally in a way that was beyond their maturity. She did as they told her and left the house to find a place to get rid of the dead bird.

The local park felt like a good place to do so for the birdie. It was a place she liked to go and it had lots of nice places she could bury it. Not that she understood why she needed to bury it; the sentiment in doing so seemed more humane to Toga over just tossing it into the garbage can. Almost to the park she skipped around the corner to find the public playground empty of all other people. There was someone over in a funny looking van she had never seen before. There was something sticking out of its side that looked like a place to eat.

There was still enough time in the day for her to spend just out on her own and it was probably the last time she would be able to share the pretty bird she had before she got rid of it. Maybe this person would be nicer and perhaps would even see why it was so pretty to start with. With a slight amount of hope in her heart and a naive excitement; Toga approached the van with a skip with the bird in hand.

"Let's see… Maybe I should try for something fusion? No, that's just…"

Inside the van was a white haired and bearded cook who was trying to figure out the menu for that day in particular. For the few short years he's done this, he was coming up blank as to what it was he wanted to serve from his food truck. It was already planned that he would be serving stew with a selection of organs and cuts of beef; though now his heart wasn't in the mood to make such a dish. More options went through his mind as he leaned back on the chopping counter that led into the bar area.

"Maybe if-"

"Hi, what are you doing mister?!"

At the bottom of the steps leading into his cooking area was a very young child with what looked to be a dead animal in her open palms. Unexpected, though not uncommon or surprising to the ever experienced traveling chef of the black Volkswagen food truck that still didn't have a name. His response to the child was to exit the van and kneel down to speak to the girl at a comfortable eye level for the child.

Taking a closer look at the blonde child showed her to be in clothing that was rather nice looking and seemingly designer. Two messy buns on each side of her head that were frilled with hair jutting out from where the buns were seated against her scalp. A smile that was not one that ordinary people would have seen as cute or endearing at first sight split the child's face from side to side. Her eyes narrowed slightly from how large that smile was on her petite face. Others would have found themselves dissuaded from even speaking to her alone for the characteristically creepy smile adorning her face.

"Sorry about that, kiddo. I'm just trying to figure out what it is I should be making for people to enjoy the most. I'm a cook and right now I'm just trying to make good food… Anyways, what about you? What's that you got there?"

He looked to be genuinely curious while making proper eye contact with the girl. For the first time in her young life, she felt like someone was properly communicating with her without the other party being uncomfortable or telling her to stop being so open about her feelings. This was far from something a little girl of her age should be experiencing this early on in life.

"It's a birdie! Isn't it pretty? It's so cute and sweet, isn't it?"

A moment of observation from Toga to see what this adult's reaction would be. While he wasn't meeting the sight of the bird with outright disgust or rejection; what she did see was confusing her over her initial expectation of disappointment. On the man's face was a look that made Toga feel a little sad.

"... Why is it cute? I'm not saying it isn't, but I just wanna know why you love this little guy so much in particular."

There was a big word or two that went over Toga's adolescent mind in his sentence. Him pointing down at the bird itself was enough of a clue that he wanted to know why she loved this birdie. Her gears were turning and the man was since enough to just patiently wait for her to form her response.

"Because its life is so nice! It flew and met all sorts of other pretty birds. Birdie even had other small baby birds in its eggs and was a good mommy until her babies got big and strong! It's so pretty."

She was rather proud of her long winded speech over why such a pretty bird was her object of affection. Toga was still showing off the little bird while smiling proudly while doing so. There was a look of rationalization that looked like he was approving that he did in fact understand the sentiment. The next question he posed to the child was just to add some context to his understanding.

"Hm, is that right? Well, how do you do it? You seem to know a lot about this bird; how do you know all that you know?"

It wasn't posed with suspicion, but genuine inquiry for something that he had no knowledge over. Without hesitation; Toga bit into the little body and drew what little blood she could after her previous sessions of blood letting. A small trickle of blood remained on her lip as she presented the further drained carcass of the dead animal.

"Like that. That's how I know how I love this little birdie."

Toga's parents reacted with shock and horror when they encountered their daughter with the dead animal and saw what she had been doing with it. They reprimanded and demanded that she do something she didn't understand; whereas this man who was a stranger took his time while seemingly thinking nothing of how wrong it seemed for the girl to act like she did. His look of contemplation then transformed into that of satisfaction after coming to his conclusion of the little girl. He put a hand on top of her head and petted the child as he confirmed his thought with her.

"You can see lives by drinking their blood, huh? Gotta say, that's quite the gift. Never knew anybody from here who can do that. Guess this makes you super special, eh?"

Not only did he say such nice things after seeing her quirk; he had none of the ugly emotions that other people had when they looked at the girl after figuring out what she could do. Feeling that she hadn't known ever before were rattling around in her mind as she saw the man take his hands and cradle her own in his larger palms.

"Though I do feel a little sad. This beautiful little bird won't make any more pretty memories now."

The man made no sense to Toga with what he just said. She had those memories and would cherish the birdie forever.

"Nuh-uh! She's up here and will be with me forever and ever. That's why I love her so much!"

He wasn't upset or impatient as he began to gently correct the little girl over what he saw as a misunderstanding of the circumstances. Once more he looked her in the eye as he told her the truth.

"You have her memories, kiddo; not the bird itself. I'm really sorry, but she's gone… She won't have any new memories to give you."

Something began to twinge deep in Toga's chest as he kept explaining what it was she had versus what she thought she had.

"No more memories of her beautiful babies growing up and learning to be birds on their own. No more flying over trees and looking for all sorts of weird bugs or berries to eat. What she did may be your memories now; but for her, she'll never do anything so pretty or nice ever again. I'm sorry."

That feeling of twisting and turning started to hurt as she came to terms with the concept of death and that this pretty little creature she thought was hers was in fact long gone. Her eyes started to leak while it got harder to talk and think to reject this man's explanation of the creature's death.

"N-n-nooo; no- she-she-she's ins-side m-m-me! I can- I can- I can see her and- and- and-"

Right as Toga was starting to lose her coherency; larger hands gently scooped the small body from her palms and cradled it for Toga to see from a different perspective that the body was in fact just that. In her hands, the bird looked so peaceful and cute with her tiny hands carefully cradling the bird wherever she brought it. In the adult's hand; all she could see was the lifeless and stiff body void of anything that previously made it so charming and valuable to her.

"I really am sorry. Things like this happen when they get too old or are hurt really badly. I know it doesn't feel good, but there is something we can still do for little missus birdy here."

Collecting herself while being comforted by the adult helped in ceasing her crying for a moment. A questioning look through wet eyes was all she could manage while it was still a mystery to her what else they could do; after realizing that the bird she had come to cherish was in fact dead.

A Little Time Later

Both Toga and this kind stranger were both crouched and praying to the recent grave that was made for the bird at the base of the largest tree they could find in the park. They both introduced themselves and Toga found out that this stranger was named Nakamura Haru. He just told her to call him Haru and it was what she labeled him ever since.

Haru had dug rather deep and even put a rock over the body after putting some dirt on top of the body before filling up the rest of the hole. He explained that cat's can dig up the bodies of certain animals right after they died to try and eat them. The rock was just his way to make sure that the bird was left in peace. It did help make the little girl feel a bit better that the bird was gonna be okay while resting forever next to this tree. A final prayer was offered by both of them before they stood up and took their leave.

"Don't be too sad for the little bird, kiddo. There is something good that happened out of this…"

What could have been good after realizing that her precious birdie was just dead? Looking at Haru and him looking back felt like he genuinely did feel sorry for Toga. From out of his jacket pocket, Haru reached over for Toga to take his own as they walked back to the van.

"You saw how she lived. Her life was pretty and beautiful in your eyes and you got to see it for yourself. What you have and what you got to see is something nobody else but you can see. So don't feel sad for the birdie because she's gone; be happy that she was even here to begin with. I can guarantee that even the little birdie wouldn't want you to feel so sad because of her."

A little squeeze of her tiny hand was something that she felt had calmed her restlessness over the bird's death. So much had happened that day and she was rather tired of it all. They returned to the van when there was a sudden call out to her from some familiar voices in the distance.

"...ga? Toga?! Toga, where are you?!"

It was her parents who were rather distressed that their young daughter was gone for some time now without their guidance. For parent's that were too scared to accompany their daughter to throw away a dead animal in a trash can outside their home over wanting it in one of their own bins; they were acting disproportionally stressed in comparison to their initial reaction.

"Toga, where are… There you are! Oh my goodness, there you are!"

Her mother ran for her daughter and in return the young child reciprocated the affection and ran back into her mother's arms. They embraced while the father was checking in on the pair to see that his little girl was indeed unharmed. His first suspicion of Haru was met with calm indifference as he charged the one who was supervising his daughter for close to half an hour while he was content on letting a child wander alone initially.

"You!"

Quite characteristic of the father, he hefted Haru by his jacket and threw out threats to see why his daughter was walking hand in hand towards the stranger's van. Ignoring the fact that Haru's van was folded out as a catering van and that he took close to half an hour to come looking for his daughter.

"You creep! What were you doing to my daughter?! Huh?! Answer me, you bastard!"

This was to be expected from parents that found a strange man accompanying their child after they had come searching for them. What fucked off Haru wasn't the name calling of physical aggression. He could see that this was nothing but an act that the father felt that he needed to put on for his family and anybody who happened to be watching.

No parent would have spent any time allowing their child to wander before becoming panicked by their absence after just thirty minutes. Even the reason Toga was out by herself was ridiculous for how easy it would have been for them to simply throw away the dead animal at home. If there was an excuse of disease and parasites on the dead body; why hadn't the mother or father gone with the child to do so?

As much as Haru wanted to be short with the parents, being confrontational with a parent's child in proximity of said child tended to be a rather shitty thing to do to the kid. Haru held his tongue as he weathered the attempted lifting by the girl's father while giving his side of the story.

"I was serving from my food truck when I saw your girl wandering around with a dead animal and struggling to dig a hole to give it a proper grave. I offered my help and she was too distressed to walk home on her own. Honest to god."

There was a healthy amount of suspicion in the father's eyes as he looked back at his daughter's face. Surprising the father was how distressed his daughter looked as he was still threatening Haru with physical violence. Her mother was the one to restrain their daughter as he did what he felt necessary as the household patriarch.

"I-is this true, Toga?"

Seeing it as her only opportunity to help Haru, she nodded furiously and was relieved that it did calm down her father. Too many things were happening that day for the little girl. One man was clearing his throat to rescind his earlier display of aggression while the other man couldn't have given two shits about what had happened just now. What Irritated Haru was how little this man cared about his daughter over how he acted as her father. Such behavior made Haru want to throw up with how underqualified people like this were to have children.

"I, uh… I apologize, good sir. I hope that my concerns were not seen as belligerent; but as a concerned father for his daughter."

Eat shit and die. This thought threatened to make itself vocal as Haru stomached the act and simply played along. Resisting the urge to break the man's hand in his own as they shook was quite the task as well.

"Any parent would do the same as you did. I'm just glad Toga is unharmed."

It was technically the truth for everything Haru said to the father. Just because he did what a concerned parent did wasn't indicative of how he felt about his daughter. There was no way he could lie and say that he was glad that Toga was back with such irresponsible and shallow people. This half truth seemingly worked and left the parents to bring their daughter home without incident.

Such a broken home for a girl who needed so much more. Haru couldn't allow such a child to be so carelessly treated and discarded by people who never had it in them to understand parental love for their own children. Toga was a good child, and it was his prerogative to make sure that this girl was at least able to feel like a home wasn't impossible for her and what she needed emotionally from someone who cared about her.

Years Later

Over years of association and keeping in contact; Toga and Haru kept in contact and were able to connect with her lifestyle being the thing she escaped whenever she spent time with Haru. The cheerful expression that looked like a mannequin to Haru sickened him and was a reminder that her being so repressed was nothing short of driving her to insanity. Her emotional reprieve from her homelife was whenever Haru happened to be in the neighborhood or when she felt the need to call him for his company.

When it came to difficult discussions about what she was experiencing as a teenager; it fell to Haru to reassess what mistakes her parents made and inform the girl seeking guidance with correct information that would help her rather than corner her emotionally. Going through puberty was one of the cornerstones of guidance that a parent could do to help their child; yet it fell to him to explain her menstrual cycles and feninine hygiene products while her parents left her out to hang and dry. Some nonsense about how blood made them both clam up and point her in the direction of the internet.

They never failed to infuriate Haru in some capacity over the years. Had Toga been under their care alone for the entirety of her short lifetime; nothing short of her going insane would have resulted from their efforts. He was even the one Toga asked when she was twelve and asked for advice on how she was starting to feel an attraction for a boy in her school. Haru's reaction was one of frustration of her parents and was even clarified when he asked her why her parents didn't want to say anything.

"... I didn't ask them. I want you to tell me."

Good lord; the girl was no longer trusting her own parents for things that should have been basic shit! Less and less was Haru's patience with such irresponsible people to lose their child's trust as badly as they did. He didn't want Toga to feel so deprived of sanctuary to the point that a man who should have been nothing but a stranger was now her central pillar of emotional support. There was no time for his anger or annoyance; Toga needed him and he was wasting time thinking about idiots who didn't know better.

"Alright, c'mon and have a seat."

His sign was flipped to closed for him to talk to her one on one. He made the both of them some sandwiches in record time that they shared as Haru pulled out his laptop to help Toga understand what it was he was saying.

"So being attracted to boys at your age has no negative connotation and is something that can occur earlier or later than how old you are right now. Even the attraction to girls is a normal thing as you learn what it is you find attractive."

"Ew! No! Why would I do something li-"

A painful but tolerable flick to Toga's forehead was quite the hint that what she was saying was a bit rude for how much effort this explanation took for him to give her.

"Focus. Everything I'm saying is important, so make sure that whatever you have to say is saved for the end."

Toga pouted and gave Haru a teary look of dissatisfaction while he kept on explaining what it meant for her to be attracted to others. Things like sex and pregnancy wwere covered and elaborated on whenever Toga threw a question his direction. So much of the information that the girl received was met with intrigue or realization more than actual discomfort or embarrassment.

Then came the subject of her unique quirk and how it would interact with her developing physiology. Not one to beat around the bush; Haru got down to brass taxes and came forward with his concerns and possible risks of her coming into such strong emotional developments.

"Right now, these changes are something that every teen struggles with and would find a little overbearing for how much of an impression these new experiences leave on them. You have a habit of wanting to connect with others through more direct means. You can see literal experiences and feel precise emotions by consuming blood. What seems to be a convenient way of circumventing time and effort can lead to some other nasty situations."

Now was the time to get into the nitty gritty of it. Haru didn't spare Toga from a direct and analytical explanation of what would be her scenario if she were to take his word lightly.

"You're aware of this connotation. Since these feelings are going to feel rather intense, you'll be tempted to use this to close the gap between you and the object of your affections. Not everyone would feel it okay for you to drink their blood. Something as out of the normal social acceptance as that would be something like asking for sex out of nowhere for a lot of people."

For Toga, that comparison helped in getting her to understand what it would mean for her to do so without consent. She knew that it wasn't quite the same, but the sentiment of the explanation stuck. The rest of the explanation went on for about another hour or so and was most of what she needed to understand about herself. Sexual diseases, safe sex, concepts of birth control were all covered and explained for the vulnerable teen.

"... And that is everything that should be of immediate concern. Was there anything else?"

"I don't think so… Yup! I think I'm all questioned out!"

They wrapped up and bid farewell for that afternoon with Toga feeling so much better with her new information and Haru glad that she wasn't going to be clueless at the very least facing her newest challenges. Barely a win in his eyes, though it was better than the alternative of leaving her to fend for herself.

A Few Months Later

Toga knew better than to do what she was about to do. It was something she was warned about a while ago by her one trusted mentor in extensive detail. The desire that was taking hold of her was peaking and taking her rational mind hostage while she was fighting fruitlessly against it. Anybody who didn't understand what addiction was like was oblivious to how much pain she was going through.

A painful pull that was like sandpaper grinding against the underside of her skin. Everyday it was getting worse for her while her mild feelings of affection were transforming into a maelstrom of desire that was only satiable through slaking her literal bloodlust. Imagining his blood slithering down her throat was giving her goosebumps as she fantasized the feeling of doing what she intended to do.

Behind her intended target was a number of classmates trying to get to their next class period without being late. A handsome boy her age that was fairly popular amongst his peers and familiar amongst most social circles. His presence in the school was a well respected and noticeable one with most of his peers knowing who he was at first glance.

She was getting closer and closer with the weapon she had tucked in her uniform pocket tucked away and ready for use at a moment's notice. Nobody was aware of the intended event about to happen at this one girl's hands. The remaining distance between her and the object of her affections was just enough for her to pull out the boxcutter and-

"Toga! Sorry for being late; I got caught up and traffic was the worst."

A hand had secured itself around her wrist that was in possession of the weapon she had intended for the assault planned. Peering at who it was that stopped her short of committing public murderer was the familiar face of Nakamura Haru. His right hand that wasn't grasping her wrist was buried in his right jacket pocket while Toga was able to return from her self induced trance.

"Anyways; we're late for your appointment, so let's go while we can."

Toga was dragged away by the arm that was about to strike the innocent classmate with a boxcutter in order to give Toga access to the blood flowing through his veins. She was dragged across the front schoolyard and brought past the gate as Haru had tossed the boxcutter that Toga brought to school into the trashcan next to the front schoolgate. Neither Toga or Haru said a word until they arrived at his familiar van with Toga seated at the center stool and Haru standing in front of her outside of the van.

Both knew that what had just happened was a case of good timing for Haru to stop the girl from cutting down her classmate. It was almost a national case that Haru had prevented Toga from committing in her own school. She could only remain silent while the only person she felt cared about was standing in front of her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"... I-"

A hand went up to cut Toga off before she could get a word in. There was a lot to unload about the situation as it was; Haru didn't need her to try and find a way out of the situation. The morning of that day was just Haru on a road after a few weeks of absence from Toga's neighborhood. Since the last time they spoke; there was something weighing heavily on his mind. For months, the girl was starting to look more and more withdrawn with every visit having her look more withdrawn then the last. That had suddenly escalated to a full blown catatonic state that had Toga completely dismiss the man on her way to school.

He didn't push the issue as there was something he needed to confirm before he did anything rash. After making a call and getting some eyes on the girl; his first move was to park near Toga's school with an earpiece with regular status updates on what Toga was doing at all times. When it was confirmed that the girl pocketed a boxcutter and began to wander the halls in a slight daze was when he found the need to intervene.

He slipped past the front security and followed the location given to him by his surveillance team. He was just behind her when he saw her begin to brandish the cutting tool from out of her pocket as an unsuspecting boy was blissfully unaware with his back facing Toga. Just as she was about to reveal the weapon and alert the others to her intended assault; a hand shot out and restrained the wrist and snatched the knife away. Haru had just barely made it.

Now they were both back outside with the van just being outside of the school while Toga was looking rather kicked down for being caught. In as calm of a fashion as possible, Haru spoke low and softly while standing stoically and looking down at the shamed child.

"... You could have called me."

"... I'm sorry."

That wasn't enough to spare her from Haru's lecture.

"I was literally right there when you walked past me this morning."

"... I know."

"You… You knew? Then… Then why, Toga?"

This was getting exasperating for Haru. She was well aware that somebody who cared for her was still out there and still went ahead with almost ruining her life as she knew it. There were better options than to feed an addiction without fear of the consequences while he was still there for her. He knew that he was being less present as of recent; though he would never fail to show up when she called or messaged him. Even she knew better than to use his lack of presence as an excuse for what almost transpired.

"..."

"... Fine. You don't have to explain yourself for that. What I do want to know is why you were even doing what you were about to do in the first place."

As calm as he was acting right now; there was quite a lot of distress running rampant in his head over his concern for Toga.

"You're smart enough to figure something out that would give you what you needed without having to cut into the poor kid's throat. Were you looking to get caught? Was it so bad that you just didn't think straight? It… It…"

Haru had a decent guess as to why it was that the blonde girl was contemplating murder for her fix. He definitely knew that this girl knew better with how much he's taught her about things such as this. Warning her about the dangers of letting desire run rampant without considering where it was sourced. Too much of this stunk to the high heavens with her parents being the core of the issue.

It was starting to wear thin on Haru with how much those people were more concerned with their image of a family without any of the emotional support or help one gets with being in a family. Not wanting to make Toga feel any more isolated than she already did; he pulled the girl into his chest and gave her a hug while she started to cry and sniffle against his cotton shirt. Regular pats on the back while embracing her helped the young Toga feel a bit calmer. All Haru could do was just reaffirm the girl while comforting her,

"... It's okay, kiddo. It's gonna be okay. Shhh, you're okay. You're okay…"

They stayed like this until Toga was finally able to stop crying. Her eyes felt heavy enough for her to close them and fall into a deep slumber. She was put inside the folding cot with a blanket until she was ready to wake up. Haru was finding it harder and harder to resist the temptation of just beating the ever living shit out of those selfish pricks for how little they were doing for their daughter versus themselves.

No matter what, they were her parents by blood; he had no right to do anything without considering Toga's place in all of this. Despite her parents' suspicions of him; he gave them his contact information in case they ever needed to reach him. He had a book out and was reading while awaiting the call he was expecting from the negligent parents. It came in on vibrate so as not to interrupt Toga's nap. To even his nerves, he quickly snagged a beer and lit a cigarette while rounding a street corner before responding.

"What?"

"Don't you fucking 'what' me, you son of a bitch! Where's our daughter?!"

Thinking that he was the one about to lose his mind; Toga's father had no idea how petty his anger was in comparison to the one Haru was starting to lose control of.

"You know, that girl has not only been dealt a bad hand in dealing with her own issues. Her parent's are just as useless to even see the writing on the wall…"

The insults and hellfire came in for how blunt Haru was being with the father. The dialogue was relatively hostile with the father threatening police custody and legal action while Haru just kept insulting him and his wife while just laughing at his expense. He promised to drop off the girl later and hung up on the father before he could say another word. Needless to say, Toga's dad called the police and even attempted to call the police but was given the runaround for some reason.

Toga was eventually returned with Haru being around the corner of her house. Not because he was afraid of the patent's seeing him; if he took one look at them now, he was sure to beat them with his bare fists until they were mashed into a paste. A somber goodbye with one last hug before Haru made Toga promise to call him if she ever needed help. They made their usual contract and went their separate ways for now. The memory of Toga looking painfully alone in his rearview was still something he could recall in painful detail to this very day.

Months Later

The Himiko household experienced a natural disaster level of danger when their front door was ejected from its hinges and door frame into the home. Splintered wood with a healthy amount of broken glass showered the hardwood floor as the door crashed against the staircase railing. It cracked under the force of the door and held the cracked wood until it fell limp back onto the floor below the stairs. A shocked couple came to check on what had caused the racket to then witness Nakamura storm in absolutely livid and with a fury that rivaled that of a nation in war.

"You… Shits!"

Initially the father was about to launch into another trade before he caught sight of the destructive anger Haru was radiating like a bonfire. He even involuntarily stumbled back onto his ass when Haru approached the frightened couple to heft up one of his targets of hate filled anger.

"You kicked her out?! For what; no fucking reason?! I ought to turn you inside out for how fucking unbelievable you are as parents!"

A drywall interior had no hope of remaining unscathed as Haru hefted the man up off the floor and slammed him against the living room wall. His back caved in a section that swallowed up the rear half of his body.

"Not only do you not give a shit about your daughter; you sign her off and treat her like she's no longer your problem?! I ought to break your arms and legs and tie them up behind your FAT FUCKING ASS!"

Going for the phone was the wife in order to call for one one nine and remove this crazed attacker from her home. The police gave her a little of a run around while Haru was still berating the suffocating man in his ironclad grasp.

"So many of her problems wouldn't even exist had any of you given a DAMN about anybody but yourselves! Fucking criminals possess more empathy than the both of you combined; you shallow, stupid fucks!"

He let the man go red in the eyes before dropping the man and letting him catch his breath through his bruised trachea. The wife came to his aid after Haru gave the couple their space. Looking down with them was a glare of shame and disgust for how lacking such so-called 'good parents' these people were seen as. She told the husband the police were on their way while he was still far too weak from the impact and choking delivered to him by yours truly.

Getting out of here wasn't a concern for time; it was for how much Haru hated this place. He stormed up to the bedrooms and searched for Toga's. He eventually found it and began to pack a bag he found with essentials and creature comforts Toga would need for an extended stay. By no means was he going to kidnap the girl, but returning her to such negligent people so soon was something he couldn't allow out of good conscience.

Down the stairs and out the front door with what he felt would be good enough to keep Toga comfortable; he left in a storm and left the broken and defeated couple to pick up the pieces of his rampage. After the police showed up and took down a report they were certain that the violent intruder would get his due diligence in no time at all.

What they were blissfully unaware of was that the commanding officer had called Haru right after and asked him how they should proceed with the incident. Haru allowed them to make the call and left it in their hands. This wasn't about sending a message or keeping toga away from them until they realized how terrible they were. Toga needed space to recover from such a terrible family and it was actually Haru's task to make sure that she was ready to eventually return willingly.

A family was a family; even one so hollow and loveless like hers. He looked back at Toga sleeping with her stuffed animal in her arms while napping on the foldable cot he had installed in his van. Seeing her wandering outside on her own after receiving a phone call at around five pm was something much worse than he first guessed. Her parents sent her out of the house for god knows how long without even giving her basic essentials like clothing or money.

She explained that they had been fed up with her relaxed behavior at home and couldn't tolerate the smile she naturally had. It scared them enough for her parents to force her out of the house right when her father snapped at her. His response was to let Toga catch a quick nap with how tired she was from all of the drama and storm the castle of casa del Himiko. He said his peace and left with a necessary pack of Toga's clothing and other items to help her cope while she got some distance from such a malnourished environment.

His head hurt. There was just no getting away from people so stupid and moronic. At least their daughter could catch a break while she learned to cope with their lack of care her entire life. They couldn't have made him angrier if they tried.

A Few Weeks Later

Pulling up to the street corner where Toga's house was occupied was the ever familiar van of Haru's food truck. Coming to a complete stop allowed the duo to dismount and stand next to one another as Haru was mostly waiting for Toga to take the last few steps to return home. She was simply hesitant to do so, but knew that she was due to return to her parents.

Having all those weeks to go around and travel all over Japan was a nice distraction and allowed Toga to reset herself from the affection deprivation she suffered at the hands of her parents. Those connections and unique experiences she shared with Haru made her feel as though she never was missing out on the familial love she desired for years. He did his best to give Toga a time that would help her through the learning process of forgiving and rationalizing such extreme emotions.

This was it. After thinking and giving herself time to rethink things; coming home felt more daunting than what she thought was going to be just bittersweet at most. It was when Haru knelt down to talk to her that things got easier for her.

"Toga, I want you to listen to me for a moment. Can you do that for me?"

Their eyes met with Toga burying her face in the stuffed animal she had wrapped in her arms. Haru spoke sincerely to help the girl to work through her thought process.

"You have nothing to be ashamed about, no matter what they say about you or what they force you to do. Making the decision to forgive them isn't one you need to make, but doing so is something that many people struggle with. I'm proud of you, kiddo. You're one of the bravest people I know for doing something like that."

They gave each other one last sad smile and hugged before they said goodbye.

"... I love you, Haru-chan."

"Love you too, kiddo."

She couldn't help but wait as Haru's van drove away into the distance before returning to a pair of relieved parents that showered her in love for Toga's safe return. It felt like an act or soap opera with how self involved she knew her parents were. Eventually, things were back to the way they were in no time at all.

What changed was the knowledge that her desire for a connection wasn't something she should allow to dictate her life. To know who you are and be okay with it was something she would always thank Haru for. It just was unfortunate that Toga still was subjected to being with her parents until things got bad enough for her to be tossed out permanently. Something Haru wished wasn't something her parent's were capable of stooping low enough for.

Present Time

Awake in the van was Haru smoking a cigarette and drinking himself stupid with the recent absence of Toga. His efforts to help the girl was always impeded by his self appointed agenda of proper due process of accounting all factors in a broken families dynamic. Toga had left a little while ago and was someone who was about to embark on a journey of self discovery with people who were out to break society.

Alcohol and smokes were the only vices he could embrace as his thoughts strayed to darker territories with how much regret he's had with this poor girl and the life he's failed to improve. More than less, his soul was starting to return to a very familiar yet unpleasant place that Haru was all too familiar with.

All he could do was hope that Toga would be somewhere he could reach her whenever she would need his help. With what he knew about them and what he had planned for them as well; he was someone who was simply hoping that Toga would find what she needed sooner than later and get out of danger as quickly as possible.