A/N: The field trip almost went without incident, sorry Ryohei. At least he got money to call a cab but he probably ran home anyway. *shrugs* And for those of you wondering about Mukuro and Chrome? Here they are. Chrome gets a family and Mukuro gets a reality check.
And huge thanks to TekoloKuautli for inspiring me to write this chapter. Hope you all enjoy and feel free to leave a review!
Another Stray
Tsuna nearly fell to the ground when Shizuka tackled him in a hug. "Gotta go out of town for a bit. See you later!" She yells, running as fast as she could. Tsuna looked at the trail of dust in confusion, wondering why she decided to leave. His question was answered when he saw Kyoya hot on her heels, the expression on his face a mixture of rage and embarrassment. He stopped in front of Tsuna for a moment. "Tell the tanuki to stay out of other people's bathrooms." He states before continuing to follow Shizuka's trail.
On one hand, Shizuka could say that it was the best prank she ever pulled. Unfortunately she saw a little too much of the violent prefect, leading to both teens being embarrassed. Of course her flames started acting up again, so now she couldn't go back to her flame form. Otherwise she would've haunted Tsuna for the day without any worries. If this chase had started two months ago she would've been exhausted on the ground. If she could just get out of the town limits, maybe Hibari would hesitate leaving Namimori.
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Nagi sighed, clutching onto her only friend as she waited for the crosswalk to indicate it was safe to walk. There was a cloudy sheen to one of her eyes so she attempted to cover it with her hair since her parents refused to get her a medical eye patch. The only respite she had in her miserable life was Kuro, a black cat she found wandering around a week ago. She couldn't bring the cat into the house, her mother was allergic, so she would leave out food whenever she could. That cat probably had more to eat than she did.
The light was still red when she felt a sharp elbow to her back, causing her to stumble forward into traffic. Her eyes widened in horror as a car slammed on their brakes, Nagi's life flashing before her eyes. A hand grabbed her arm and she was yanked out of the way, the car blaring its horn as it passed. She was shaking and Kuro was glaring at their savior. "Are you alright?"
Shizuka tried to sooth the girl, noting how she cringed from any form of human contact. Her eyes narrowed, her brother had been like that before. She then glared at the crowd that had fallen into a hushed silence. "Well? Which one of you impatient bastards nearly got this girl run over?" She growled, cracking her knuckles. "I... I'm okay." Nagi says timidly. "There's no need to make such a fuss over me." Nagi continued, her eyes glued to the ground.
The light turned green and the crowd behind them just walked around the two girls, more concerned about getting home than the near accident. Shizuka scoffed in disgust. "And my brother wonders why I never felt sorry when I sent his bullies to the hospital. People are too wrapped up in themselves to care about others. I know I'm not good at the whole comforting thing-" She was interrupted when Nagi sobbed and hugged her, an annoyed cat between the girls.
Shizuka patted her on the back awkwardly, letting the girl cling to her like a lifeline. This was what she wished she could've done for Tsuna when they were younger and this girl reminded her of how broken Tsuna could have been. "Hey, how about I take you home?" Nagi's shaking grew worse, her grip on Shizuka tightening. Alright, so that was another red flag.
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Thankfully Shizuka broke the hug so Kuro, Mukuro in a cat body, could breathe. She gave Nagi a reassuring smile. "I won't force you to go back. I've seen those type of eyes before, they're crying for help. I can take you somewhere you'll be safe. What do you say?" Shizuka asks gently, not used to being this nice to people outside her own circle. Nagi looked down at Kuro, an action that wasn't missed by Shizuka. The red eye the cat had was an indicator of who was currently possessed the feline but she was more concerned for Nagi.
"She is safe." Mukuro confirmed. As much as he hated the Sawadas for being a part of the mafia, there was a difference between them and Estraneo. Since they were raised civilians they actually had morals and protected their own. "Okay that... that sounds good." Nagi says, holding Shizuka's hand gingerly. Shizuka grinned, then she remembered that Kyoya still wanted to kill her. "Great. Meifeng will love having another girl in the house. And if you cause any trouble furball, you're going to regret it. Don't think I can't recognize the signs of possession." She says bluntly, getting a confused look from Nagi.
The moment they were nearing the outer limits of Namimori, Shizuka felt a shiver run down her spine. "The Hibari family is pretty friendly besides their youngest." At this Mukuro snorted. Shizuka rolled her eyes. "Hisoka is an officer so I'm sure he could pull some strings if anything." Nagi flinched and touched the side of her head. "And Mukuro... for what's it's worth I kind of understand why you snapped. Going through death multiple times can't be good for anyone's mental health."
Mukuro hissed. "How would you understand anything? You've never experienced death!" Shizuka's eyes darkened. "Mukuro, I am dead. It's only when my flames turn all wonky that I can be somewhat human, and even then it's never when I want it. Fourteen years being forced to watch my brother suffer bullying and the effects of a seal. Even now I feel detached from the world. As humans we've all suffered in different ways, who is to say one person's pain is greater than anothers?"
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I swear, Tsuna's compassion is starting to rub off on me. I guess those psychology books I read came in handy. Shizuka thought, noting how Mukuro had calmed. She sighed, hating the tense atmosphere. There was a reason she was never serious. Being serious was boring. "Tanuki." Both Shizuka and Nagi flinched as Kyoya's eyes narrowed. "Look Kyoya, you can beat me up later. She needs somewhere safe to stay and I know you're not heartless." She states.
Kyoya noted how Nagi hid behind the tanuki and how she had a tired but determined glint in her eyes. "Hn." He pocketed his tonfa, surprising Shizuka. "You will be bitten later." He states, flaring his coat dramatically. Nagi looked confused, Shizuka chuckled. "It's your lucky day. Seems we're being escorted personally by the Demon Prefect himself." She says in amusement. "Tanuki." Kyoya growled, she shrugged.
To Shizuka's surprise Mr. Hibari, or Hisoka, was home. Thankfully the man looked like he got around to shaving his beard and his wild hair was trimmed. "Ah, Kyoya and his little girlfriend." Shizuka just stared at the ground awkwardly, Kyoya glared. "The tanuki brought a small animal with her." He states, Hisoka looked at the girl behind them.
Nagi was thin, and not in a healthy way. The way she tensed around strangers, especially one that was a cop, spoke volumes. "Mind telling me her name?" He asks, Shizuka smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I was in such a rush it hadn't occurred to me." She admitted. "Nagi...Nagi Akiyama." She says quietly, Hisoka scowled. The neighbors of the Akiyama family had called social services multiple times but the charges against her parents never stuck. He heard one of his coworkers cursing lawyers under their breath.
"Alright Nagi, you can stay with us for now. I'll get this all sorted out." Hisoka says. He was reluctant to call his father for any assistance but he wasn't going to let her parents break the girl any further. Shizuka watched the man walk out of the room with a solemn expression. "Is he alright?" She asks, Meifeng sighed. "Don't worry about it, she'll be safe here. Masahiro will tell you eventually." "What does any of this have to do with Hiro?"
Bonus: The Prank
"Why haven't I done a prank with feathers before? He constantly carries Hibird around with him." Shizuka mutters, smacking herself in the forehead. It seemed like the older teen was starting to develop a sixth sense for when she was going to prank him, much to her dismay.
There was only one place she knew of that everyone let their guard down in: The Bathroom. Her plan was simple, wait until he finished showering and then she'd dump a bucket of yellow and pink feathers on him. Nothing too complex, just dump and run. Of course her flames decided to ruin her fun, making her solid. She tripped over the bucket, bringing down the shower curtain as she fell.
Both teens stared at each other in stunned silence, their faces red. At this point Shizuka had to force herself not to look at the naked teen, throwing the bucket at his head and fleeing for her life.