Meeting Tsukasa

Ryuji, Kamojima, and I walked into the room to see a 14 year old child. For a moment, I froze … until I launched at the kid for a hug. Under that muse, I sniffed the kid's scent. The kid was female and the daughter of one of my best friend. I let go of the poor girl and took her hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

"Hello there, you must me Ryuji's so called friend! You don't know how much it means to me to finally meet a friend of my son, let alone know that he has a friend!"

She looked bewildered as I continued, so did Ryuji. She was able to tell me her name through her possibly jumbled thoughts, Kozuki Tsukasa. I was rolling with laughter in my mind at seeing me act like this. I continued,

"I was beginning to worry about my baby boy not having friends. I was starting to think of sending him to therapy or ranting the ear off Kamojima for making him this way."

I dramatically threw up my arms to show how exasperated I was along with giving a gusty sigh and waving my hands and arms flippantly. I looked to the girl. She was holding in her laughter. My eyes glittered mischievously, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to mockingly whisper,

"I have always wanted to meet his friend, but I thought I would be dead by the time that happens, or me being too old to understand you youngsters' minds anymore."

I unwrapped my arm from her shoulders and pretended to be and older lady with my back hunched over, one arm behind my back with a balled fist, and the other in front of me acting like I was holding a cane. I made my voice sound old and ragged. I started to wave my hand with the invisible cane.

"Hey, Ryuji! Why haven't you let me meet any of your friends! I'm getting older by the day. You haven't even shown me any ladies you were interested in! I could have shown them your baby pictures and tell them stories about-"

"MOTHER! Stop this nonsense! He is not my friend! Someone get him out"

But I got my result, she was laughing, actually rolling on the floor. I straightened. I heard a pop in my back. I pointed to it.

"Did you hear that, Ryuji. I'm getting older and you finally have someone to be your friend. Besides, he knows enough about you, and I'm going to keep talking to him so he stays."

"But how can he be a friend of mind if we had sat next to each other in school for 8 years, yet had never spoken to each other."

He knew I was going to intercept in his point, but cut me off. Now I looked at him deadpanned with his-supposed-to-be friend. She looked solemn as we said this at the same time,

"Because you're so gloomy (at school that I've never even seen you tried to make friends with anyone)"

"Anyhow, you should know mother, that I don't have ears to gokudo's worst enemy, the police. Someone hurry up and get him out of here!"

I was taken aback by that statement. She wasn't a police's kid; she smelled of Ayabe's child.

'I guess that solves the puzzle of where her child went. I wonder why Ayabe didn't tell me she let her daughter be with our police-in-training-at-the-time friends, The Kozukis'. Oh well, now that I know who's she is a child from, she is now a part of my pack.'

I looked at her as she spoke, fondness in my eyes. I heard on the news that a couple of cops were struck down in the cross fire between our fights with another syndicate. Only now I feel bad and silently started grieving for my friends. I blinked when I heard faint growling. I walked over to her and took her hand before she could start the puppy-dog eyes for food. I looked back at Tsukasa's bewildered face and grinned.

"You're hungry, right? I'll get you some food."

Then she dug her heels in the ground and looked at me pleadingly.

"I have siblings that need to be fed too! Will you please let them eat too?"

I was thunderstruck, siblings that weren't being taken in or one old enough to take them in are sitting outside … hungry. I turned around and headed toward the exit, pulling Tsukasa along with me.

"Tell me where they are so that they won't starve."

Tsukasa smiled in relief and lead the way. Once we got there, my mothering instincts clicked on and I was able to herd them inside to get there fill and be well fed. One of them was surprised and shocked at my behavior. I paid for the expanses of the food to replace for the dishes that were eaten. I fluttered around them to see if they had eaten well and to make sure they were alright. The twins and Tsukasa preened under my attention while the oldest was suspicious. When they were walking out, I was about to protest when Ryuji locked them up.

I demanded a reason from him. The answer made me go quiet. Ryuji hopes to have information of the man who killed his father from Tsukasa. I heard it, but I smelt her lie. Ryuji didn't even ask me if she told the truth or not; he doesn't usually do that. It worries me for his hope to be crushed. I submissively enter the room with Ryuji. The sight before me … I was furious along with Tsukasa. Flames appeared around me in my anger,

"R~Y~U~J~I~! What is the meaning of this! You there! Release them at once."

"I revoke her order, let the scythe continue. He knows about father's murderer!"

"Stop the blade, give me a moment with him and I will see what I can do for corporation."

I stared into Ryuji's eyes sternly until he sighed.

"Alright, stop the blade but they will still be strapped in, you have 10 minutes with him."

With that, Ryuji and the rest left the room. Kagome turned to the siblings and simply slumped to the floor in relief that the sibling's lives were spared for the moment. Tsukasa kneeled down and hugged me. She also slumped in relief.

"Thank you, thank you so much for saving my brothers."

I wiped away the tears that were slowly falling. I smiled softly.

"Hey don't worry about, Ryuji might not understand since he is an only child, but I had a brother too. He was dear to me until we had to go our separate ways and I haven't seen him since. Now, I know that you lied about knowing who killed Nidaime."

I could feel her stiffen and stare at me in horror along with her foster brothers. I patted her head and smiled.

"Don't worry, we will figure something else out so that your brothers don't get hurt. At the moment, I can only think of this: you who did it, but u doesn't remember his/her name or their face, but you'll be able to recognize him/her if you saw them. I'm sorry but that's only scenario that I can think up for the moment, so you'll have to be with Ryuji, me, or both and 'act' as a bodyguard until you find the person who is responsible."

"How do you know that I know how to fight, but I can do that! But, I wouldn't like it at all."

Her brothers made protesting noises in the back of their throats but mostly kept silent.

I lifted a finger to quiet them down.

"Well, let's just say that Ryuji always complains about this one police child gaki that would always fight with him and actually land some hits on him. Now, Tsukasa, you need to think of the repercussions that come with deals."

I looked at her sadly.

"What …?"

"The repercussion is that you have to live here until either we or you can find the murderer. Whether you agree to this is not going to any different, since Ryuji will go to any length to find the guy that murdered his father."

Tsukasa looked sad and a bit mad about that.

"Though, if you do happen to live here, your brothers won't get pity from Ryuji to give them housing to live in the while you are here, but," I said to their slowly depressing faces, "I can arrange for a cheap apartment complex for you guys to live in.

Now, do we have a deal?"

I looked at her brothers with Tsukasa to see them nod reluctantly. I looked at Tsukasa to see her nod too. I smiled.

I stood up along with Tsukasa. I told the boy to hold on for a moment. They didn't look happy. I talked to Ryuji about my scheme, ur plan to look for his father's murderer. He agreed. I got someone to release the boys. I gave Tsukasa a hug before leaving her with Kamojima for her new room. I was leading the boys to a van to take them to the apartment complex I told them about.

Now to see how this is going to work out …