Chapter edited as of 15th April 2016
Somewhere during the journey away from Fran's old home, Mukuro had picked him up and carried him. It could have had something to do with the younger complaining that his legs were tired from walking so much, but he wasn't sure; he was usually good at reading people, but the teen seemed very experienced in hiding what he was really feeling. Even so, he enjoyed being carried; it made him feel safe to be in such a gentle hold, so unlike what he was used to.
The teal-haired child wasn't sure how long Mukuro had been walking for or where he was going, but it didn't take much longer for the sun to have disappeared completely, replaced by the moon. The forest they were travelling through was cold and dark, and the strange noises that seemed to echo from every direction made Fran whimper and curl closer to his rescuer; he had never been out so late before, and it was so very different compared to the daytime.
"It is alright, little one," Mukuro soothed as he continued walking. "I know my way through the woods. Once we get out of here we will be at my home."
Fran nodded. He wasn't entirely sure of if he should respond or not because for some reason, the other villagers didn't like it when he tried to talk. Was it the things he said? The way he sounded? What had he done to be treated so badly? He perked up when he wondered if Mukuro could help him find the answers to his questions; surely the teen was old enough to know why he was always treated so differently. He lifted his head and called out softly, "...Pineapple...?"
Mukuro felt a vein on his forehead throb in agitation, but even so, he kept his temper down, knowing the boy had probably forgotten his name and was trying to acknowledge him by another factor – namely the way his hair stuck up at the back of his head. He took a deep breath before he said, "It is Mukuro, Fran. Please do not call me such things."
"Hmm… Pineapple-Mukuro...?"
The older male closed his eyes and sighed; already the brat was getting on his nerves. "Just call me Master, okay?"
Fran nodded. He was starting to feel comfortable around the other, the kind of comfortable he used to feel around his grandmother, and his voice became a little more confident. "Master...?"
"Yes, little one?"
"Why do you think no one likes me?" The sadness in Fran's voice tugged at Mukuro's hardened heart; this was no way for a child to speak. Children were supposed to be happy and have fun all the time – everything he and his friends had been deprived of until they had finally escaped their abusive environment and ran away.
"Because you have been unfortunate enough to be stuck in a village full of people who are not worth your time. Do not think on them, little one; you are better than that. How old are you?"
"Seven..." Fran did feel a little better after hearing Mukuro's explanation, and he was glad the other had changed the subject; he wasn't sure he wanted to keep talking about it.
"Well, child, I am fifteen. How long have you lived with your grandmother?"
"Always." Now came the question that was really bothering Fran. "...Will I... be happy with you, Master...?"
The teen hummed as he thought about it. "I do not see why not. I live with some friends but they will not hurt you. You can be happy with us if you desire to be."
Fran tensed at the mention of others; he already liked Mukuro, but could he learn to like others, too…? What if they hated him like everyone else he had met? What if they weren't nice like Mukuro was? But part of Fran honestly felt a little… numb at the idea. Was it normal for him to not care as much as he used to about how he was treated? He wasn't sure, but he kind of liked not feeling emotions as intensely as he usually did; it might have had something to do with finally having to harden himself to leave his grandmother, but now he was finding himself in control of his emotions for the first time in his life, and he didn't want to go back to the crying boy he used to be. "Friends?"
"Yes. Their names are Ken, Chikusa and Chrome. You will like Chrome, little one."
Fran sighed. He wasn't thrilled about having to meet others so soon, but if it would allow him to stay with Mukuro, he would have to do it; he didn't want the teen to leave him because something about the older male made him want to stay with Mukuro forever. "Okay.
With that said, a comfortable silence fell between the two of them as Fran rested comfortably in Mukuro's arms. He wasn't sure how long it took him, but once the older male started humming, his eyes suddenly grew too heavy to hold open any longer and he fell into oblivion. The teenager ran his hand through teal hair and smiled; he had never been a fan of children, but Fran was an exception to that, even if he couldn't exactly understand why.
~~The next morning~~
When Fran awoke, he was curled up on a green couch with a blanket over his frail body. He rubbed his eyes before he pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. He could see that he was in a living room, and the couch he was laying on was against a wall. There was a coffee table in front of him with a few magazines on it and a TV adjacent to the couch. A window sat to his right that showed an empty field governed by a grey sky, and to his left was a door that seemed to lead to a hall.
Fran shivered as he pulled the blanket tighter around his body; he was a little disconcerted without Mukuro, but at least he had had a good night's sleep; he was usually plagued by nightmares, but last night he hadn't had uncomfortable dreams at all – instead, they had been pleasant.
Fran was unsure if he should get off the couch or not; he didn't like the idea of getting up and wandering a house he didn't know. "Master...?"
To Fran's discomfort, it wasn't the pineapple-haired male who had come to greet him; it was a girl who resembled Mukuro in the sense that she also had blue hair that was spiked at the back. She wore a black eyepatch on her right eye and had a shy smile on her face, and what comforted Fran was that she seemed more nervous than he was.
"U-umm..." The girl approached Fran hesitantly. "M-mukuro-sama asked for me to c-check on you..."
Fran bit his lip as he looked down at his lap, not knowing what to say; he felt comfortable enough with Mukuro, but he didn't know if this girl could be trusted or not; he had only just met her, after all.
The girl knelt by the couch, and by now her smile seemed to come a bit more naturally as her voice strengthened; she must be feeling a tad more confident. "...M-my name is Chrome... I'm a friend of Mukuro's. Would you like some breakfast?"
Fran was hungry, but should he say anything? Should he trust her? Where was Mukuro…? He closed his eyes and let out a smaller whimper; he had been alone for so long that the idea of Mukuro disappearing really did take a toll on his mental health. "…Master…"
Chrome reached out and put her hand on Fran's shoulder. She glanced behind her to the doorway she had come through as she tried to decide what to do; Mukuro was busy, but would he make time for the boy he had taken in? Deciding she could only try, she stood up. "I'll find Mukuro for you."
Fran's lip quivered as he rubbed his itching eyes, almost afraid to think about what was going on; what if he had made a mistake in leaving Grandmother and Mukuro had abandoned him just like his parents had…? He curled up on the couch again and pulled the blanket over him as he struggled to contain his emotions; he was in an unfamiliar place with strangers, and all he wanted was Mukuro, the one he knew and trusted.
Fran didn't hear the two sets of footsteps approaching the couch; all he knew was that his blanket was suddenly pulled from his body and a large hand rested on the small of his back. He turned his head to see who it was and found himself looking into heterochromatic eyes; finally, Mukuro had come back.
"What's wrong, little one?" Mukuro placed his hands on Fran's tiny waist as he pulled the boy into a sitting position. "Are you okay?"
Fran reached up and wrapped his arms around the teenager's neck so that he could hide his face in the other's chest. "Master…"
Mukuro understood what was happening; Fran was very anxious about being away from everything he knew. He wrapped his arm around the kid's shoulders and smiled gently. "Would you like to help me finish packing, little one? Chrome will make you some breakfast and bring it into you."
"Pack…?" Fran cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?"
"We are moving to Japan, and you will be coming with us, of course."
Fran couldn't say he liked the idea of moving – especially to another country – so soon after running away from the only family he had, but if it would keep him with Mukuro…
"Okay…" Fran said nothing as he was picked up; he was content in the teen's arms, having never been held like this before. If only to be able to have such reassuring arms around him, Fran wasn't going to regret running away.
~~Later that afternoon~~
Fran had enjoyed helping pack things into suitcases, and the food Chrome had given to him throughout the day had been even tastier; it was nothing like the boring atmosphere he had lived in with his grandmother, and even the food here was better quality and didn't taste like poison. He was happy, and he was sure he was going to remain happy with them.
The boy was currently sitting on Mukuro's bed, and his legs swung back and forth off the edge as he watched the small TV sitting in the corner of the room. Mukuro was beside him, listening to his Walkman as he read a magazine. When the curiosity got the better of him, he crawled further onto the bed and tugged at the mist-patterned shirt the older wore. Mukuro lifted his headphones up so he could hear what the boy wanted, his smile never faltering.
"When are we… going to Japan…?" Fran asked. His voice was quiet, and there was a hint of hesitation in it that seemed to come and go depending on the younger's levels of anxiety.
"In a few days, little one." Mukuro didn't mind the distraction; he was finding that he was enjoying having the younger's presence with him – in a way, it was almost… comforting for him. "Watch your cartoons, okay?"
Fran nodded. He returned to his position on the edge of the bed and kept his gaze focused on the TV; he was enjoying the cartoons that were playing as his grandmother had never had a TV in her home. It had only been a day since he had left with Mukuro, but he was already feeling settled in, and he was glad he had finally made the decision to leave the home that was only ever depressing him.
In only a day, he had felt more at home here than he ever had with his own family.