Chapter Two: The Contemplations of Those Around Her

Hinata slowly opened her eyes to find herself in an old Japanese-style room that was almost reminiscent to her own room.

Except…it was somewhat barren with a noticeable lack of furniture with the exception of the futon bed she was currently laying on…with the only other thing being noticeably obvious was her suitcase and her backpack that was lying up against the wall.

That's when it dawned on her that she was no longer living with her family anymore…but instead…with her new caretakers.

She still…wasn't so sure what to make of them just yet.

They seemed nice…

She rubbed her eyes somewhat tiredly as she started to contemplate going back to sleep, only to jump when she heard a slight knock on the door.

"Are you up, Hinata?" It was only Shinra…

"Y…Yeah." It was hard to ignore the slight stutter in her voice.

"That's good. I'm almost done with breakfast, so come on out once you get changed."

"Okay…" She listened to his soft footsteps as she heard them scrape against the flooring of the hallway until she could no longer hear them.

This…would take some getting used to…

Once she got changed into a fresh new set of clothes, she left the room before making her way over to the living room, where she could see Shinra cooking over by the oven.

"…Do you…need some help?" It felt almost strange to her to watch someone else cook…especially given the fact that she has taken on the responsibilities that her mother once had back at…home…

"Not really. I pretty much got everything taken care of! How about you take a seat while I finish up here?"

"…Okay."

She sat down at the dining table before she began looking around for Shinra's roommate.

The room was completely barren of anyone else besides the two of them.

Was she still asleep?

"Ah, if you're looking for Celty, then she's not here." Shinra placed her plate down in front of her along with some silverware before he grabbed his own as he took a seat across from her. "She left on a job, so she won't be back until a little later tonight."

"Is she always working?" Hinata inquires as she took a bite out of her breakfast.

"Yeah. But I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Breakfast went by relatively fast with Shinra compared to how it usually did with her father and her younger sister.

Maybe it was because of how talkative Shinra was while her father was always so silent.

Although… She couldn't help but miss the small conversations that she would have with Hanabi.

"…Will I be going to the same school?" Hinata inquiries as they left Shinra's apartment.

"More or less. Although…I do have to talk to them to explain the current situation. They should have been notified about it anyway."

Right… Because she was being transferred into someone else's custody.

It probably made no difference to anyone else…but she wasn't exactly excited to go back just yet.

It wasn't like…she had any friends there anyway…

Once they were on the streets, Shinra made sure to grab her hand before they continued onwards to the store.

Hinata, meanwhile, just stared at the hand holding hers.

It was the first time…in a long time…since someone other than her younger sister has reached out to grab her hand.

She knew the reason for it, but it still left her a little bit speechless that Shinra didn't even hesitate to hold her hand.

Almost like it was no big deal to him.

It…probably wasn't to him.

She didn't get to ponder over it for too long, however, as a loud noise echoed throughout the streets which made her quickly grab onto Shinra's sleeve in absolute fright.

"Wh-What was that?!"

Shinra merely smiles at her. "Oh, that's just an old friend of mine. You don't have to worry about him though. He's just having a bit of a temper tantrum."

Hinata could only stare at him in utter bemusement.

How…is he acting like this was a normal, almost everyday occurrence?

It was almost the exact opposite of normal!

Regardless of her own personal feelings on the matter, she still followed him into the shopping district.

The first store that they entered was a clothes store.

"Let's see… If I remember correctly…the children's clothes is…that way!" And without another word, he began tugging her along without a single care in the world.

Shinra Kishitani was a really strange person.

He barely bats an eye to almost anything at all.

And what's more…he doesn't even seem to care at all.

He obviously cares about Celty, and he seems to care about her, too…

But… Did he really mean it? Or was it just out of…simple obligation?

"Hinata, look!" Shinra gasped as he immediately lets go of her hand as he began running over to a clothes rack before he turns around to face her as he held up an article of clothing to her. "It's so cute! What do you think? Do you like it?"

It was a simple purple dress that has a rather intricate black design that covers the whole material.

It was a nice dress…but she wasn't really sure of it herself.

"It's okay…" She was a little bit unsure as she stared up at the doctor, who began holding it up to her to see if it would fit her.

In the end, he must have decided that they were keeping it since he tucks it over the side of his arm before they continued onwards on their pursuit for new clothes.

This went on for about ten to fifteen minutes as he looks at the fabric of the clothes while occasionally holding it out to her to get her own opinion on the matter.

She never did protest to any of them, which always left it up to him to decide if it suited her or not.

There was a few times when Shinra's attention would diverge to a different article of clothing altogether.

"Hmm…" Shinra lightly hummed as he looked at the dark dress shirt.

"…Shinra?" She looked up at him curiously.

"Hmm?" He looked down at her for a moment before he realized he had just gotten sidetracked. "Oh! Sorry about that, Hinata! I just got a little sidetracked, that's all!"

"It's okay…" She looked at the shirt for a moment, quickly noticing right away that was a woman's shirt. "Are you thinking of buying that for Celty?"

"Er…" His eyes widened at how perceptive she was before he sheepishly smiled. "…Maybe? But she's always wearing the same clothes over and over. So she might not like it anyway." He was about to put it away only for Hinata to stop him. "Huh?"

"…I don't think it really matter if she likes it or not. All that really matters is that you bought it for her." Hinata's words may be quiet, but they were just as sincere as anything else. "And if it's from you…then I'm sure she'll appreciate it anyway."

Shinra stared at her for a few moments before his eyes started to brim in tears.

Oh, no…

"S-Shinra?! What's wrong?!" Did she say something she shouldn't have said?

"H-Hinata…! You're the sweetest kid I've ever met! You're too sweet!"

…Huh?

What exactly did that mean?

"Uhm…" She looked around anxiously for a box of tissues, only to realize that they were in a clothes store. "H-How about we head over to the restroom so you can clean your face?"

"That's not necessary, Hinata." He quickly assured her as he begins wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. "I'll be just fine."

Hinata was somewhat doubtful, but she didn't protest as she followed him throughout the store.

Once they were done searching for clothes for her, they checked out of the store only to stepped inside a general store that was just around the corner.

This time, however, they grabbed a shopping cart so they wouldn't be struggling with carrying so many bags at one time.

"All right, then… School supplies… School supplies… That reminds me, how old are you anyway, Hinata?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm nine years old."

"Nine years old, huh… That means you'll be in fourth grade." Shinra lightly muses as he begins pushing the cart with Hinata right behind him. "Man, does that take me back…"

Hinata looked at him somewhat curiously, but she didn't say anything as they went through the aisles.

Most of the time spent there mainly consisted with Shinra picking up a few items as he occasionally looked over towards her for her own opinion on it while Hinata didn't pay all too much attention on the general items itself.

They didn't really matter to her either, same as the clothes from the previous store.

It doesn't matter.

That being said, her attention did get sidetracked when they started to pass the toy aisle where she was a stuffed black rabbit with a purple ribbon tied around it's collar.

Without even thinking about it, she slowly reached out her hands to grab the plush.

"Is that a bunny?" Shinra was standing behind her as he looked at the toy curiously.

Hinata almost jumped out of her skin as she pulled her arms close to her chest as she stared at Shinra with wide eyes.

The doctor didn't pay too much attention to her reaction as he picked up the plush.

And after appraising it for a full solid minute…he then lightly tosses it into the basket.

Which only served to make her panic.

"W-Wait, Shinra! Th-There's no reason to buy it! It's just a toy! It's not relevant to…" She slowly started to trail off before stopping to a halt once the doctor turned around to face her.

"It doesn't matter if it's relevant or not, Hinata. The fact of the matter is that it caught your interest, right? So that's the only reason that I need to buy it." Then he smiles at her. "And besides, there's no real harm in buying a toy. I had all sorts of them when I was younger."

"But… Father says…" She immediately stops, almost as if she was aware of what she was about to say could almost be consider wrong on so many levels.

Shinra's only response was the slightest raise of his eyebrow.

Almost as if he was trying to implore her to continue on with what she was saying.

The smile on his face had disappeared the very moment that she had mentioned her father…but that wasn't what caught her attention.

It was his eyes.

He was staring at her with the utmost seriousness that not many people tended to give her.

She hesitated once again before she continued. "…He says…that it's not necessary."

"…Is that so?" Shinra's voice was quiet, but it lacked the friendliness that it once had.

In fact… It sounded a little bit…off?

Like something was wrong without visibly showcasing it.

"Well, Hinata… Let me ask you something. If your little sister wanted a toy, would you let her have it?"

"Of course." Hanabi was only four years old. It was perfectly normal for a child her age to have a toy.

"And what if she was the same age as you. Would you still let her have it?"

"Of course." She was still a kid regardless.

What was Shinra trying to say?

"So then… Is it really considered unnecessary to have a toy, regardless of the age between you and your sister?"

Hinata's eyes widened at those words.

There…really wasn't much difference between her and her sister.

And yet… Her father has always treated them differently.

It…used to upset her in the beginning…but she has grown used to it by now.

But she never once hated her sister because of that.

"…I suppose not." Hinata murmurs as she looks down at her hands.

She never really thought of the difference between her sister…and herself.

Why did her father treat her so differently?

Even before Hanabi was born…there was always this large gap between them.

Her mother loved her so unconditionally…while her father…barely showed any ounce of emotion to her.

…Why was that?

She didn't get to ponder over it for very long as Shinra began lightly ruffling her hair.

"Come on, Hinata. We should finish up here before we go back home."

Home…

Was home…Shinra's apartment?

She's not even sure herself.

"Okay."


Hinata followed Shinra around in his apartment as she helped him put the clothes away into the closet of her room before they both looked down at the school supplies.

Then he gave her a somewhat sheepish smile, almost as if he just realized how bare the room actually is. "Maybe I should have set up a desk beforehand… Sorry about that, Hinata."

"It's fine." She didn't entirely mind.

"Let's see… How about we put some of it in your backpack while the rest to go over in the office for you to use later?" Shinra said as he pulled her backpack close to him.

Hinata nodded her head in understanding as she grabbed the materials that she wouldn't be using at her school before making her way over to the office.

She set the supplies over by the wall of the desk before making her way back to Shinra.

He puts her backpack back over by the wall before he pulled back his sleeve to check the time on his watch. "Let's see… It's still pretty early in the evening for Celty to be back… How about we play some video games in the meantime?"

Her head perked up at the mere thought of video games before she quickly nodded.

Shinra couldn't help but smile at the eager response that he received from her.

At least he finally found something that all three of them can enjoy together.

"I have to warn you, though." Shinra tells her as he makes his way over to the living room with Hinata right on his heels after making sure that she grabbed the rabbit plushie. "My games are kinda old, so I'm not really sure if you'll like them as much as Celty and I do."

"That's okay." It doesn't really matter to her.

Hinata took a seat on the couch as she watched Shinra set up the video game console on the coffee table before he pulls out a set of games to play.

"Which one do you want to play, Hinata?" Shinra asks her as he sat down next to her before he noticed the plushie sitting conspicuously on her lap.

Shinra had tried his absolute best not to showcase his own personal feelings in front of Hinata on the subject…but it was kinda hard not to when his own father never once seemed to mind at all about his own wants and interests.

How can anyone tell a child, especially someone as well-behaved as Hinata, that having toys wasn't necessary?

It was absolutely unheard of in his own opinion.

Was her younger sister given the same sort of treatment? Or was it just exclusive to Hinata herself?

And if that was the case…then why?

Now he couldn't help but wonder about Hinata's own self-esteem.

Hinata lightly pulled on Shinra's sleeve before she held up one of the games.

"Mario, huh?" Shinra lightly muses as he stares at the game. "Are you sure about that? Even Celty has a hard time with it."

She nodded. It was the only game that seemed even remotely interesting to her.

"Alright, then." He slides the game into place before starting the console up. "By the way… Have you decided on a name for your new friend?"

…Friend? Oh, he meant the plushie.

Hinata looked down at the stuffed rabbit, who was sitting rather comfortably in her lap.

She actually…hasn't really thought of a name for it.

Actually… She stopped giving names to any of her stuffed animals once her mother passed away.

There was no real reason for it…she just stopping doing it altogether.

And then she would pass them down over to Hanabi once she got a little older.

"…Shion." She finally decides on it instead of voicing out any of these thoughts to Shinra.

She still hasn't completely forgotten how he reacted back at the store…and at least for the time being…she doesn't want to say anything more unless it was absolutely necessary.

…She still wasn't completely sure if she could trust him yet.

Him…or Celty.

They seem nice to her…but it still left her wondering on the reason for it all.

Nevertheless, it didn't escape her observation to see Shinra smile at her. "That's a great name! It means remembrance, doesn't it?"

Hinata nodded as she gives a shy, almost hesitant smile.

Ironically enough, the name is actually consistent to a video game that she plays.

Although…the spelling is somewhat different, but the meaning should still be the same nonetheless.

"Looks like it's all ready!" Shinra hands her one of the controllers before he grabbed his own. "I'll play with you for a little bit so I can help you get used to the controls."

Hinata nodded in understanding as she turned her attention to the TV screen.

By the time that Celty had finally come back from her job, she couldn't help but stop in her tracks as she stared at the two playing video games together.

While it isn't unheard of for her to play with Shinra…what really surprised her was the look of frustration on Hinata's face.

"Try it again, Hinata!" Shinra encourages her as he pats her back. "You'll get it this time, I'm sure!"

Hinata didn't say anything to that as she retried the level once again.

Celty could only stand there in utter shock as she watched Hinata play the game while Shinra did his best to offer emotional support for her.

Then she died once again, which made her sigh as the game practically taunted her with it's music.

She didn't hesitate to let more of her frustration show as she lightly threw the controller onto the coffee table with it almost hitting the console.

Shinra lets out a small, almost sheepish laugh. "It's okay, Hinata… There's always next time."

Hinata only pouted at those words before she took notice of Celty, who was standing a few steps away as she stood there in muted shock.

Shinra looked over as well before his eyes brightened at the sight of his roommate. "Celty! You're back!"

Celty smacks the front of her helmet before she pulls out her phone. [You didn't force her to play with you out of boredom, did you?]

"It's not like that at all!"

Hinata stared at the two for a few moments before she noticed a shopping bag sitting nearby.

Shinra hasn't put it away yet since he had told her that he wanted Celty to see it first.

But it seemed like he had completely forgotten about it during the past hour.

Hinata grabbed the shopping bag before she made her way over to the young woman as she lightly tugged on her sleeve, which forced both of the adults to cut their conversation short.

[What is it, Hinata?] Celty typed into her PDA.

The young girl didn't say anything for a moment before she holds out the bag for her to take.

Celty's helmet was tilted slightly in confusion before Shinra was quick to elaborate.

"It's a shirt that we found at the store." He told her. "I was the one who was looking at it originally, but Hinata encouraged me to buy it for you. So think of it as a present between the both of us."

[Really? It's for me?] Celty inquiries, only to receive a quiet nod from the indigo-haired girl. [Thank you, Hinata. I really appreciate it.]

Hinata's eyes widened at the words of gratitude before her cheeks lightly flushed as she gave her a very shy smile.

Shinra merely smiles at the two before he got up from the couch, which made the two look over at him curiously.

"I might as well get started on dinner." He says as he makes his way over to the kitchen. "I'm sure that you two will have a lot to talk about."

Hinata was somewhat confused by that before she heard Celty type something into her phone.

[How was it at the store, Hinata? Shinra wasn't too much for you, was he?] Celty was well aware of how…eccentric…he can be at times.

"It was okay. I…didn't really talk much. Oh, and uhm…" She went back over to the couch as she picked up Shion. "He got this for me…"

[It's cute! What's their name?]

"Shion…"

It went like that for a little while before Shinra received a call from someone.

And it was only then that he looked over at Celty, who quickly caught on to what he was trying to say from facial expressions alone.

[I'll be right back.]

Hinata watched her walk over to Shinra, who then led her out of the apartment for some reason.

But then he came back momentarily…but he was by himself.

"Celty has to go out for a job, but she should be back soon." He assures her as he makes his way back to the kitchen.

"Is her work schedule always like this?" She had only just got back, and now she was leaving again?

"Pretty much, but you get used to it as time goes on."

…Really?

How does anyone get used to it when someone comes back, only to leave again?

She didn't understand it.

Maybe…she would never be able to understand it.


Hinata seems rather apprehensive of Shinra and Celty, doesn't she? There's a reason for that. I wanted to showcase that even though she's a child, she still isn't completely sure if she could trust them or not. Not only that, but I wanted to show the relationship that she has with her family. Things that wouldn't seem so worrying to her, but it would to anyone else.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.