Thank You TheAngelicPyro for betaing this chapter!

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Chapter 2

I used the tap in the bathroom to refill my water bottle and aired out my clothes by the window while I had showered, the blisters on my feet stinging from the soap which pooled awkwardly around the drain.

My laptop was charging on the table with a cheap dollar store USB cable desperately working to revitalise my phone, and I scrubbed my hair with a too thin towel as I checked its progress; 89%. I sighed and sat down at the little table, logging into my laptop and connected to the hotel internet after several re-checks that I had typed in the garble of letters and numbers correctly.

Opening up the search engine, I scrolled over my bookmarks until I opened Facebook, knowing that if I couldn't reach anyone via phone, then I could definitely reach them by social media.

It was an hour later, at 10:43am, that I found myself curled up on the hard bed and unable to take in deep enough breaths as frustration and anxiety hooked their claws into my throat. I shuddered and shook my head, eyes squeezed shut as breaths mingled with the ridiculous growls of a tight throat.

Every single application, every single site, every single account. From Facebook to DeviantArt to Gmail. None of my accounts worked; each of them flashing with the same 'incorrect username or password' in their vibrant reds that drove me insane.

I heaved once more and scrubbed at my face, drool coming down the corner of my lips from my open-mouthed wheezing, and my nose was clogged and hot.

"C'mon, Mary, c'mon," I panted, unsure if it was English or Japanese I was speaking in anymore - hell, it could have been Polish for all I knew at this point!

Everything in the room was a garble of English, Japanese, and other trace languages; some I could read or recognise, others I had no clue. Some words I could look at and read with clarity, sure it was the familiar English, then I'd turn away and out of the corner of my eye see the kanji translation and my throat would close until I choked.

Perhaps if I were home, or had someone familiar and grounding, this new 'skill' wouldn't have driven me to such panic. I might have rejoiced with it, actually. But now it was just another added stress to my growing, teetering stack that balanced on my chest.

The sudden violins and throaty grunts of 'Dragonborn' rang out in the room and made me pause in confusion, before I gasped and got to my feet. I ran across the room and snatched up my phone, the trumpets just bellowing as I peered at the screen and found an unfamiliar number. I thinned my lips as my hope dropped for a moment before swiping to answer the call.

"Hello?" I asked slowly, peering down at my computer's screen as I listened.

"Uh, hi, Mary-san!" Yamamoto's voice came through, careful and surprised like he hadn't expected an answer. "It's Yamamoto Takeshi."

"Oh, hello little bean," I smiled, pulling away from the phone for a moment to cough my throat clear of any residue tearfulness and stomp down my panic. "Did you get home safe last night?"

"Yep!" he laughed, seeming to find amusement at being called a 'bean'. "Did you find a place to stay?"

"Indeed, I did. Told you I would."

"That's good! It rained really bad last night, the neighbours left their clothing out and now they've gotta wash them again."

"Oh nos," I giggled, sitting down at the table. "You didn't leave anything out did you?"

"Nope, everything was inside!"

"Excellent choice," I hummed sagely, hearing the boy laugh over the other end. There was a pause where he was just breathing into the receiver, then the faint sound of a door slamming and a broken breath. "Yamamoto-san, are you okay? Are you safe right now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine it's just...Tou-san is in a bad mood."

I thinned my lips and tapped my nails on the table for a moment, before sitting forward a bit and pulling away for a split second to check the battery life on my phone. It was still charging, good.

"Okay, little bean," I began, keeping my voice steady. "Can you tell me where you are and who is with you? Like, are you in your room?"

"I'm, uh, in my room, and it's just tou-san and me."

"Does your room have a door?"

"Yeah."

"Can you lock it?"

"No..."

"That's okay, can you close it?"

"Yeah," he murmured, stress becoming evident in his voice and it made me antsy in sympathy but I kept myself resolutely grounded.

"Can you go ahead and close it? It might muffle any sound."

"Okay," Yamamoto agreed before moving and that's when I heard the rustle of bedsheets from all around, the realisation that Yamamoto was huddled under his blankets hitting me in the gut."The door's closed, Mary-san."

"Good, good. You said your father will not hit you, right? You're not in any danger?"

"No. He wouldn't hurt me!"

"Okay," I hushed, "I was just making sure, I don't think your father is mean, I'm just worried."

"...I know," he conceded gently and there was another rustle of sheets. "Do you have time?"

"You want me to stay on the line with you, little bean?"

"Yes, please."

I glanced to the clock and thought about my own plights before I smiled and leaned back in my chair.

"So, tell me, what's your favourite subject in school? Or rather, which do you dislike the least?"

The young boy spoke at me for a whole two hours in that fast-paced, ranting way that only children can achieve once they shed their protective, skittish shell. It was endearing how he prattled on and on about the games they played in class, and all the other kids' show and tell.

It was so much nicer than our last conversation on that cold park bench at twilight, and I was happy to hear that, despite everything, this boy was doing his best to live out a relatively normal life.

"And we played baseball on Friday and it was so much fun! I hit the ball, and it went 'voosh!' over everyone's head!"

I chuckled at yet another onomatopoeia and shook my head at his nature, my smile rarely dimming once through the rather one-sided conversation.

"Oh, so you're a sporty bean."

"I'mma sporty bean!" he agreed enthusiastically and I let out a loud laugh.

"Indeed, you are," I hummed, "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better. Thank you, Mary-san."

"Absolutely no problem. It's why I gave you my number, after all."

"Yeah," he breathed and I could hear the smile in his voice. "I, uh, need to go have lunch now or tou-san will be worried. Can I call you again?"

"Anytime," I assured, staring at the 'username or password incorrect' message on my screen, "Any time at all."

"Thank you! Bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye."

I ended the call and lowered my fully charged phone onto the table with a soft clatter, dragging the mouse until I could open my calendar and read the list of appointments that I should have had today. It was all blank, not even my psych-ed classes booked into their time slots.

I scrolled the months, years, looking for any sort of indication of my life. The yearly reminders of birthdays and weekly reminders of classes or sports activities all void, and I took a shaky breath as I returned to present day. It was like every shred of evidence that I ever existed had been erased.

I opened my phone and went to call logs, gazing with defeated acceptance as only one number showed. I tapped it and put it under the name 'Sporty Bean'; the 'first' of my contacts.

My devices were fully charged, my clothes were aired, and I was washed. I looked around the room once more, before I got to my feet and began grabbing my stuff and messenger bag.

I'd need to find another room to stay in tonight, and from the looks of the sky, I didn't have much time before the next storm hit.

: : :

I sat at the side of a fountain in the market square, a box of takeaway food at my side which was serving as both lunch and dinner. Patches of warm sunshine littered the place in what seemed to be a sudden break in the gloomy weather, and I was taking the moment to soak it up as I rested my feet.

I hummed and used my teeth to tear the packaging of some two-pack socks from the 100 yen store, spitting the plastic into my palm before easing off my heels. I winced at the angry red skin and I swore someone hissed in sympathy as they walked past.

"Ouch," I murmured, before rolling up my slacks and pulled on some black socks.

As I shoved my feet back into my heels, I gave one more helpless look through my phone, once again barren of history, as it had been wiped. A stressed sigh seeped out, and I rubbed my nape from under my hair before I got to my feet and adjusted my messenger bag.

I had been circling this shopping district since leaving the hotel room, and though I had found another at relatively the same price only hours later, I was wondering about in vain attempts to understand what on God's green earth had taken place. My lip was raw from how much I had been chewing on it recently, and I had been making an effort to kill the habit lest I do some serious damage.

Another glance around the district showed me places I had already seen, and I let out a long breath before taking steps in a random direction. The crowds of people became thinner as I walked, and I began to relish the quiet after spending so long in the bustle of that place.

Then something in my stomach shifted and I felt my shoulders tense, a sudden feeling of discomfort settling on my nape. I grit my teeth as the feeling urged me to glance over my shoulder, but a better knowing part of me kept my eyes forward until I passed a set of windows and managed to glance out of the corner of my eye.

A man was walking maybe ten paces behind. He wasn't very strange or clearly standing out; just a normal salaryman. But the feeling that had draped itself across my shoulders still remained, and it burnt whenever I tried to rationalise, as if warning me not to blow this off.

Instead, I decided to test it.

I took a sudden left into another lane, as if suddenly noticing the street signs, and snatched a view of the man following me still. I tested it again and again, moving left and right in nonsensical patterns to try to debunk my anxiety.

But instead of settling, it ramped up until I felt an insatiable urge to run.

My teeth pulsed with pain at how tight I was gritting them, even as I stretched my neck high to try and loosen the tension in my shoulders.

I turned another corner, sharper than I did the last. And then I cursed internally as I was met with a little boy, the feeling of being followed growing.

The youth looked out of breath like he had been running, the furrow in his brow looking out of place on such a small face with wide, brown eyes. He peered up at me with a strange mixture of confusion, worry, and hesitation before he inched toward me, his arms drawn to himself as defence, and whispered, "Are you okay?"

I stared down at him as the footsteps came closer and then I realised, like a sudden epiphany, that I couldn't leave him here.

Just as I thought that, a tiny hand slid into mine and made me look down to see him waiting patiently.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

A footfall came, and I heard it with too much clarity, able to estimate perhaps only four metres before that strange feeling came to fruition.

I tightened my hand around his and started to walk again. The young boy followed without question, which should have been concerning, but at this moment I was all too grateful for his cooperation.

"Where are your parents?" I asked tensely, looking around for anyone else but finding the streets barren.

"My mum's at home," the boy answered, holding me equally tight as we tried to put distance between us and our pursuer.

"Why are you out here then?" I breathed before turning right as per the urge to.

There was a pause before he turned to me. The sun must have caught his eyes strangely in that moment, because his once brown eyes seemed to be a caramel hue, but I had little time to think on that as he tilted his head and uttered, "I could hear you calling. Weren't you calling?"

I found myself unable to make an answer to that, because though the rational part of me was saying 'no, I was just cussing a lot', another part of me insisted that it was true.

"Thank you," was all I said instead, and he smiled a shy little thing before ducking his head.

Then he stopped, and all but dragged me down a lane, his unexpected strength shocking me. He looked like he was made of twigs with thin wrists and pale skin, but he pulled me with the force that I had trouble resisting.

"This way!" he urged, "Just...This way!"

We were already walking fast, but just as we came to an intersection, the little boy broke us into a full-blown sprint across it. Only when we were well on the other side did he slow down and tug me into the obscurity of a parked car.

Just as we ducked down, we heard the rev of motorcycle engines and rough, shouted voices. I hissed out a breath and pulled the little boy into my side, hunching over him as the yells and hollers were coupled with the aggressive rumble of engines.

There was a beat of silence, then another, and I felt myself slowly unwind enough to peek through the windows of the car to see an empty street. At the sight, I let out the longest sigh I could, the whole capacity of my lungs evacuating in a single moment until I slumped back against the car door.

"Gone?" the little boy asked, still wedged under my arm.

"Gone," I nodded. "How did you know to run here?"

"I, uh, I'm always hearing about the bikie gangs from the high schools that race around this road," he murmured, and I watched as the severe furrow in his brow smoothed out. "I'm glad it worked."

"I am too," I wheezed, "You're a smart little bean, huh?"

"M-Me!?" the boy yelped, and I blinked as the air around him seemed to shift to a completely different intensity. A softer atmosphere following him as he stumbled to his feet. "Smart? Uh, no, I'm - oof!"

I gasped and sat up as the boy tripped and face planted into the ground, a faint grumble coming from the pavement. I winced and moved to his side as he pushed himself up and sat as he tried to regain his bearings, his shoelaces loose and his knees scuffed.

"You okay?" I asked quickly, crouching at his side, hands hovering unsurely. "Can I check it?"

"U-uh, I'm fine!" he assured, shying away as she eyed the scrape with concern. "I'm fine, really!"

"...If you're sure," I murmured before backing off, recognising his body language to be urgent.

"Yeah," he nodded, curling his knees to his chest and watching me from the distance, his face hidden behind his knees.

There was a beat of silence and I watched as the boy seemed to go through a rainbow of internal conflict. His expression morphed through various stages of mortification, obviously reflecting on the recent happening.

"Thank you," I uttered, and he glanced up at me. "I don't know if I would have been able to shake him off as easily if it weren't for you. So...Thank you for helping me."

The little boy peered at me with widening eyes, a flush blooming in his cheeks as he floundered mutely.

"I, uh, well, you-"

"It's okay," I soothed, seeing him begin to panic, "I understand," I didn't, really.

It seemed to calm him down though, not needing to explain himself, and he let out a breath. He gave me a weak smile from behind his knees, and I couldn't help but smile back, the boy startlingly cute.

"You said your mum was at home, yeah?" I hummed, looking to the crevice of sky visible from the two buildings we were squeezed between. "She'll get worried soon. You should get home."

It was then that the boy looked around and the colour drained from his face, head snapping left and right as he took in his surroundings.

"I...don't know how," he whimpered, and I blinked as he got to his feet and stumbled to the mouth of the alley, peering down each side of the road. I joined him at his side and asked how he knew this place in the first place and he said, "Kaa-san shops for things here. I don't know the way on my own."

"Oh," I uttered before looking around for any landmarks. The sun was still only at midday's position, so we had a while before it became dark. "Then, how about I help you get home? Since you helped me."

The youth looked up at me for a moment, his neck craning in a way that couldn't have been comfortable. He was actually quite short, and I wondered how old he actually was.

"O...kay," he murmured, finally, nodding his head.

Then he reached up and grabbed my hand. His grip, despite being small, was strong, and almost overwhelmingly warm.

I should have honestly been worried about how easily this boy just walked up to random people, seeming to possess no concerns for 'stranger danger'. But the memory of his reaction to the man made me rethink, the contrasts in his behaviour startling.

"Um, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi," he introduced suddenly, as he tugged me to start walking, deciding to try and walk the way we came, though the memory of the path was blurry with adrenaline and last-minute choices.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," I blinked, shaking out of my thoughts. "I'm Mary Smith. Nice to meet you, Sawada-san."

"You can call me Tsuna, Mary-san," Tsuna urged, and I nodded with a soft smile.

"Okay, Tsuna-san. Let's see if we can get you home, yes?"

Tsuna squeezed my hand and stayed close to my side as we debated the forks in the road. He told me about the games he had at home, and his mother, who was apparently an amazing cook. I noticed him being quite tightlipped about certain aspects and outright avoiding them, so I decided to not pry and smiled as I asked what shows he was into.

"Mecha anime!" he announced, shedding his shy skin and grinning wide, with a sparkle in his eye. "I wanna be a robot when I grow up!"

I bit my lip to hide my laughter but couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of my lips, his enthusiasm permeating.

"Oh? What kind of robot?" I giggled, helping him jump over a puddle.

"A," he paused and pursed his lips in thought. "A rescue bot! I wanna help people get out of buildings and stuff!"

My smile became soft despite myself, and he made a noise of glee behind his grin as we chose to go left at an intersection.

"What about you, Mary-san?" he asked, "What shows do you like?"

"Me?" I hummed, thinking about it. "I like...Things like BBC's Merlin."

"Hm? B..BBC?" the boy repeated, the 'C' sounding hissed and accented.

"British Broadcasting Corporation," I supplied softly, "We get a lot of their shows in Australia."

"You're from Australia?!" he gasped, and I nodded with a laugh. "Why're you here then?"

I blinked and wordlessly opened and closed my mouth, before uttering a sensible, "Just looking around."

"But isn't Australia really far away?"

"...Yes."

Tsuna looked at me quietly, something passing behind his eyes. He thinned his lips and squeezed my hand again, walking a step closer.

We made another left before moving through a crossroad. A small noise rose from me when I saw the familiar sign of a takoyaki stand.

"We're nearly at the shops," I cheered, and smiled down at Tsuna.

He didn't seem to reflect the smile, despite how the corner of his lip quivered weakly. He was moving sluggishly, however, and leant against me more and more the further we walked like he was getting tired.

"Do you know how to get home from here?" I asked, and Tsuna nodded slowly. I thinned my lips when I saw the hesitation, and crouched down to his height. "Do you want me to walk with you just in case?"

The boy perked up at the offer, big brown eyes shining through the drowsiness. He smiled and reclaimed his hold on my hand when I stood, tugging me along with the occasional directing point.

"I hope Mama isn't too grumpy with me," he murmured after a while, pausing to yawn squeakily. "I ran out without asking."

"I'm sure she's just worried," I assured gently, "Worse comes to worst, I can take the blame. Since you helped me." I continued to eye the boy as he grumbled and rubbed his eye, head rocking as his steps became sloppy. "Tsuna-san, you seem tired… Do you want a piggyback ride?"

Tsuna blinked up at me, dumbfounded before he flushed in sheepish excitement and nodded, slowly releasing me from his grasp. I turned and lowered myself, heels digging in a bit before he clambered up onto my back and wrapped his arm around my neck.

"Hold on and up we go," I huffed, standing straight and linking my hands behind to seat him properly. "All good?"

"Mhm," the boy affirmed.

I nodded and continued to walk in the direction he had described to me, taking two lefts and a right to find myself deep within a residential area of uniform houses. I blinked when I felt Tsuna relax and begin to breathe against my nape. A quick look over my shoulder made me pause before a huff of laughter came, the boy fast asleep with his cheek on my shoulder.

"Aw, what a cutie," I cooed.

Tsuna barely stirred as I continued on our way, reading the little plaques on each house, looking for the name 'Sawada'.

My heels dug in with the extra weight but I grit my teeth and bared it, thankful that I had at least left the heaviest of my junk in my hotel room. If I had brought my laptop, I didn't think I would have been able to carry Tsuna.

I hummed and was about to turn what I believed to be the final corner from Tsuna's directions when a woman came sprinting. A yelp ripped from deep in my throat and I jumped out of the way, letting the frazzled woman stop and turn to me with wide eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I just-" she paused and gasped before rushing forwards with the exclamation of 'Tsu-kun!'

I smiled and handed the boy over to his mother, making sure she had a good grip on the owlishly blinking boy before releasing my own.

"Tsu-kun where did you go!? I looked away for five minutes!" His mother wheezed, looking him over before squishing him to her chest, the boy giving a small 'oof!' at the impact.

"I'm sorry," I began, seeing Tsuna was slow to catch up. The woman looked to then, finally taking complete stock of me now that she had secured her son. "It's my fault, really. Your son, Tsuna-san, came found me. He helped me out of a...not great situation, and while doing so we got a bit lost."

She blinked and glanced between me and Tsuna before cuddling her son one more time and giving a soft scold before she got back to her feet and dipped her head.

"Thank you so much for bringing him home. I'm sorry for any trouble he caused."

I balked a bit at the action and gave a shaky smile, raising my hands to try and push the idea away from me.

"No, no! It's fine, he didn't cause trouble! Good thing I ran into you, I was just trying to find Tsuna-san's house to drop him off. It'd have been bad if we'd missed one another," I breathed, watching the mother fuss over her son, who still looked a bit confused as to where he was.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked, and I blinked. "It looks like it's about to rain, and I really do want to thank you. I had thought I lost him, I couldn't find him anywhere."

I bit my tongue and looked to the darkening sky, but decided against it and looked back at the mother.

"I couldn't, I've already caused enough grief today," I denied with an awkward laugh, before looking down to Tsuna who was all but dead on his feet. "Besides, Tsuna-san looks like he could use a break. Isn't that right, smart lil' bean?"

"Mhm," he agreed wordlessly, rubbing his face to smother another yawn.

"Another day then?" the woman offered, and I buckled slightly.

"Yeah, another day. Be safe on your way home."

"Yes, thank you," she smiled, before looking to Tsuna and nudging him a bit. "Say thank you, Tsu-kun."

"Thank you, Mary-san," he hummed, and I couldn't help but smile at his dozy behaviour.

"Thank you, Tsuna-san," I reciprocated, before nodding to the mother. "It was nice to meet you Sawada-san."

"You too, Mary-san. Thank you, again."

I smiled and turned to go back the way I came, heels clacking against the pavement as I navigated the paths.

: : :

The new hotel room wasn't as good as the one before it, but it still had the essentials and did the job.

My phone dinged as it came to full charge and I looked up from the small plastic bucket I had filled with water, my beaten up feet soaking in it. I stared at the device for a moment, before looking back down at the still water, the redness of my skin obvious from blisters formed and burst.

"Ow," I uttered pointlessly, before laying back across the hard bed and stared up at the ceiling. "My poor feet."