Chapter 15 Stray Dog
The next day Haku was surprised when he woke up, Zabuza was sleeping in the bed next to him. "Maybe he got here while I was sleeping, I usually rested in the evening and took night watches, but I spent the evening in the infirmary and slept deeper." He thought sneaking to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Haku took notes on how everyone else had a distinct style and would try to make one too. After exchanging some clean clothes in the wardrobe room he decided to wear forest green pants, a darker button shirt as a jacket and a beige shirt with a kunai sketch to go with his hi-tops. Zabuza chose dark jeans, boots found in the wardrobe room and a shirt with his favorite word control and a game controller.
After questions breakfast and with the scouts, they were almost shocked by Nikki waving in a teleporter behind them in a hallway. Haku smiling saw that she was wearing green too. A blueish grey shirt with a chibi dinosaur, placing smaller trees in a street, green and black striped arm warmers, green headband, matching pearl necklace and hair streaks pinned with a matching rose on the left and bird ornament with long feathers on the right. Just like the other days her jewelry except the pearls were the same. Worn with boots, a black belt, matching leggings and a sweater with rolled up sleeves.
At the police station Rose's cell had to be used to hold another criminal, Otto took them to her office but the lock was busted. Another beat cop Hidelsan, was seen with her. Otto tried contacting him, who in a panic said he was at the inn room 205, entering they could hear banging and yelling from the closet. When it was opened Rose was in her underwear and looking around the room made it clear this was a love nest, Hidelsan confiscated this room after last week's bust and had been bringing women here, claiming to his wife that the bust gave him more work. "Wow really Clark, what's it been 5 months since you tied the knot?" Otto sighed. The kids were getting desperate trying to substitute their items the last ones weren't literal either and well, Clark was a dog. Otto agreed to keep quiet if he watched after Rose and told his wife the truth.
Rose, back to normal and clothed agreed to tell them what they needed to know. "I- those children, are my classmates' kids. We wanted to prove this boy who preached nothing meant anything wrong and found meaningful stuff... We saw what was dear to us and made each other give it. Blood petrifies me but I had to get rid of a d-d-dog. When a boy lost a finger we were punished then the world thought we made something meaningful, the boy came back and said "What could it mean, we sold it?" The sawmill burned, he burned, we kept the ashes. Their kids tried but the town wouldn't have this and a lock failure trapped them. Families were payed or forced out even me, I married and moved back after the mayor died, nobody knows me. Why isn't burying them enough?" Rose started cried, making Zabuza look at his two little comrades for ideas.
"The meaning's the key, and needs to be recognized…" Haku suggested. Nikki nodded adding. "We have to tell them why it can be meaningful." Otto drove them to the class's graves.