Help Line Chapter 8, a katekyo hitman reborn! fanfic

Help Line

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Chapter 8

I woke up early on Saturday morning and took my time getting ready. The blisters on my feet were starting to heal and they didn't burn in the shower anymore as I scrubbed my hair of oil and stink, rubbing artificial coconut scent all over my body to mask the stench of stress. The idea of 'they smell weakness' had somehow crept into place last night when I had been busily sorting out paperwork so that today's errands would be quick in-and-out tasks.

I brushed my hair of knots and tangles before twisting it up in a bun tight enough to give me a tension headache. It had been humid lately with all the rain and my hair had started frizzing up.

On my little side table, I took some time to assemble a few jam sandwiches for brunch on the run or just in case I got hungry.

Packing my bag, I filled my water bottle and checked today's to-do list.

Saturday To Do List

- Office supply store ( )

- Pick up hanko ( )

- Go to Namimori Centre to register Jitsu (across from Library) ( )

- Go to bank: open account + register Ginko ( )

- Meet Real Estate Agent 11:30AM ( )

I paused and quickly scribbled a last note down: -Meet bouncy kid in afternoon. I'd feel horrible if I left him sitting there, even if I hadn't ever actually said I'd come. With a quick sniffle and a last check of the room, I stepped out into the chilly morning air of Namimori.

It had rained all night again, but this morning seemed to be giving us a break, leaving the paths shiny and the air fresh. Puddles pooled in the uneven streets as I made my way into the plaza, early morning shoppers and students bundled in jackets milling about.

I clicked my tongue to myself as I read the signs of the shops, before coming to a stop in front of a cute, cheap knick-knack store. The staff greeted me cheerfully but didn't break from their tasks of restocking shelves for opening, leaving me to potter about and take in what they stocked. An assortment of anime-themed keychains and bookmarks, a whole array of soft mascot plushes and an entire wall dedicated to cute and aesthetic office supplies.

It was all very nice and, if I had been in better sorts, I probably would have been itching to get my little racoon hands all over those washi tapes and pretty notebooks I'd be too scared to tarnish with handwriting. Instead, I moved down the wall to the organiser section and picked out two cheap, white plastic folders for ¥150 each. For good measure, I grabbed a sale pack of paper clips for ¥100.

¥400 shorter, I walked out and sat myself down on the edge of a garden wall. I selected one of the folders and slipped my identification papers in, finally properly protected from the perspiration of my water bottle and any bend damage from the weight of my laptop or cables.

"That's a relief," I breathed, and put the rest away to be used later. "Now to pick up that hanko."

I pottered along until I found Tomoe-san's Hanko-ya, and the woman who had helped me before was already tidying up the storefront.

"Hi, good morning!" I called as I came over and she turned to me with a drowsy smile.

"Oh, good morning. Here to pick up your order?"

"Yes please, sorry to show up so early."

"No problem. Rather that, than in rush hour, you know?" She assured and put aside her broom to go around the back and pick out a box from many. "Here we go, Mary Smith."

I took my box with a soft thanks and waited as the woman quickly hopped behind her computer to print out an invoice. As she tinkered, softly cursing slow internet and early opening troubleshooting, I took my room key from my pocket and cut open the box, showing three separate, sleek boxes inside.

I unpacked one and peered inside. My plastic Mitome stamp stood out with its bright red ink pad, a Romaji translation of my name ready to be stamped. I somehow felt a sensation of success. I was making progress.

"Come on, spit it out," the woman murmured to the printer before snatching it up and handing me my invoice. "There! All done."

"Thank you," I smiled and packed everything back into the box. "So I just need to go to the Centre to register these?"

"Yeah, they opened an hour ago so you can walk right in. There'll be a desk specifically for registering Hanko. The guy behind the desk is really nice, he'll walk you through it."

I checked my watch as I made my way to the landmark of Namimori Library. It was only 9am, but I was growing anxious about how long it would take to get the paperwork filed and then applicable for the rental. A long breath seeped out of me; don't get stressed. My appointment was at 11:30.

"Speedrun," I muttered and walked through the sliding doors.

: : :

I came out the doors again at nearly 10 o'clock, after many stutters and bumps. I had needed an address to register my Jitsu-in - something I was getting my Jitsu-in for - and had crossed my fingers and submitted the rental address. If that apartment fell through I'd be screwed, but I needed to make progress.

I was taking too many risks to be comfy right now. As soon as this was over, I was going to sit in a bath for at least an hour, I swear!

Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my notebook and 'To Do' list for the day.

Saturday To Do List

- Office supply store (X)

- Pick up hanko (X)

- Go to Namimori Centre to register Jitsu (across from Library) ( )

- Go to bank: open account + register Ginko ()

- Meet Real Estate Agent 11:15AM ()

- Meet bouncy kid in afternoon ()

"Nearly done," I whispered assuringly to myself. "Nearly done."

I looked at my watch and read the time as 9:45, still early from the time I'd need to go to Midori Real Estate. I was cramming a lot into one day, but time was running short and everything needed something else.

A long breath rushed out of me and I started down the path towards Namimori Central Bank, the Inkan register within Town Hall had given me some directions and a brief overview of what I'd need. He had been a nice, older man who seemed to see my nervousness. He had even given me a jellybean from his jar while he had sorted the paperwork.

Namimori Central Bank was only barely open by the time I walked through the door. A teller was sipping his Saturday morning coffee from behind a wall of protective glass, and tapped away at his computer.

"Hello," I greeted stiffly as I stopped in front of his counter, nervousness plaguing my body. "I'd like to open an account."

The teller looked up at me and gave me a practised customer service smile.

"Of course, you seem to be a foreigner. May I ask how long you intend to stay in Japan? Foreigners cannot open a bank account if their stay in Japan for less than ninety days."

I blinked and willed down that rise of stress that crawled from my stomach into my throat.

"At least ninety days," I decided to say, throat tight.

Ninety Days. That was so long. Three months at least.

The man smiled thinly. It wasn't an ideal response, since I was obviously toeing some sort of policy line, but he nodded nonetheless and opened an application on his computer.

"Alrighty then. Do you have all the necessary documents for today? Hanko?"

I pulled out my folder of papers and selected the relevant documents that I had on hand. I pulled out my shiny, new Jitsu-in and laid it on the table for the teller. My Learner's Licence was being stubborn as usual, however. The plastic coating always somehow stuck to the sleeve of my wallet and as I wiggled it out, it took whatever else was in there down with it.

"Sorry," I apologised quickly, trying to gather the miscellaneous cards that had fallen on his desk.

The man saw the white business card with a small, black square and promptly choked on his coffee. He wheezed and cleared his throat with a rough cough, before sliding his cup to the side and facing forward.

"I will keep that in mind," the bank teller said clearly, looking me dead in the eye, unwavering.

I blinked.

"Sure."

With my C-level driver's licence and Ginko and Jitsu-in hanko the teller started filling out my information into the application. As he did, I shifted my stance restlessly, moving my arms until I clasped them behind my back, forcing my shoulders wide and chest open to deepen my breath.

"Okay, so we're just missing some proof of residency," the man uttered after some quick typing. "Do you have a residency certificate, or some recent bills tied to a permanent property?"

My fists clenched behind my back, and my brows furrowed.

"No, I don't," I answered slowly. "I have a residence lined up for later today."

The man continued to smile thinly and turned back to his screen, "I understand. Please update us once you have that organised and we will update our system. Please bring these two cards when you do."

I glanced to the plain, white business card he had stacked just under my licence. Maybe it was some sort of reference since that's where I got my papers? I guess it'd make sense to have a reference if you're opening a bank account without all the required info.

"Of course," I nodded and continued to wait as he filled everything out. He asked me short questions now and then, verifying name, date of birth and country of origin as well as what kind of account I would like to open that day.

"How soon would I be able to use the money I deposit into my account?" I asked with a frown.

These past few days have been horrible for my nerves. I was carrying nearly three thousand in cash on my person at all times. One loose zipper or purse snatcher and it was over for me until Boss gave me my first paycheck.

"You should be able to move money within twelve hours," the teller told me cheerily. "The card itself will take a few days to be approved, however-"

"I need it today," I cut in, a strike of anxiety hitting me as I looked to the clock on the wall. 10:15am, my appointment was in an hour. "I'll need access to my account within the hour."

I was being rude, but I was nervous. If I lost this apartment, I would miss out big time.

The man stared at me for a moment, his smile blank and his eyes unseeing, almost glazed over. Then he took a sip of his coffee and straightened himself.

"I see. Well, that's not usually policy you see. Do you have a benefactor or someone who we can use a reference if you were to have trouble with your account?" He asked carefully, customer service hiding how this was a loaded question in of itself - if you were to do something then illegal and ditch us with the issue, who can we point the finger at?

I grit my teeth and felt my brows furrow. I took a long breath through my nose and out my mouth before I turned to the teller and slowly said, "No. I have no one, sorry."

That hurt to say.

A long moment hung between us before the man wheeled his chair forward and laced his fingers on his desk, leaning towards the glass between us and looked up at me.

"I understand. We'll see what we can organise for you. However, I will need you to come back at a later date to finish setting up this account with proof of address."

I blinked before straightening my posture, it would do no good to start ugly crying in a bank an hour before my appointment.

"I will. I just have a few errands to complete," I promised and the man nodded firmly.

"How soon would you be able to return?" He asked even as he continued to finalise a few more details in my account.

I glanced at the timesheet on the wall describing the opening hours of the Namimori Central Bank: 9am - 3pm Monday to Saturday. I pulled out my notebook and flipped to the page where I had written out my timetable, including both Takesushi with Boss and Tsuna's babysitting.

"If it won't take too long, I could come in on Monday," I answered carefully, and snapped my notebook shut. "I have a half an hour gap. Other than that I'll have Wednesday."

"Monday works well," the teller assured me, "It'll only take a few minutes. I understand you're busy at the moment, it seems."

"Yes," I uttered and stomped down that spike of distress that made my throat burn. "Things are…Turbulent at the moment. Thank you for your help."

"That's what we try to do here in Namimori."

I blinked when he said that, and thought about the policeman, the lady at the soba shop, the Yamamotos, the Sawadas, and even that odd little boy Hibari. I smiled to myself and reached to touch my earrings, feeling the grooves and bumps with my thumb.

"Yeah, Namimori is a great place. I just wish I had come here under better circumstances." Oh shit, I was oversharing to the bank teller. I yanked my hand down and coughed to clear my throat, pointedly avoiding the gaze of the man behind the glass. "Sorry, that was inappropriate."

Neither of us said anything after that, letting the air clear itself out. I sorted through my lists again and made sure to remember to pick Tsuna up on Monday after work - double checking the note of his school: Namimori Elementary.

"Here," the teller said suddenly and I snapped to attention as he slid over an official piece of paper with my name, a long card number, CVC and expiry date. "Think of this as your temporary card. You'll have to do your transactions by manually entering the digits, but it will get you through the day until we can make a physical debit card. Do not lose it."

"I'll be sure not to," I nodded and slid the paper into my 'important' folder.

"Now, you said something about making a deposit? Would you like to do that now?"

"Yes please, I'd like to deposit $2500," I pushed aside my folder and dug through my bag until I found my wallet and separated my cash. "I'd also like to exchange $500 into yen, please."

I needed at least some immediate money on me at all times until I could get my hands on a debit card. But until then, $500 would serve me for the next few days.

The teller did as requested, going through the motions quickly and with precision. While that was happening, I wrote down the card details in my notebook, tore the page out, and shoved it in my phone's case.

"Okay," the teller announced after returning from a money drawer, a stack of notes and a small bag of coins in his hands. "So, $500 Australian dollars will come to ¥46,712.50 Japanese Yen."

He showed me as he counted the notes and coins, before sliding them over through the gap in the glass.

"And your deposit of $2500 Australian has turned into ¥23,3562.50 Japanese Yen. You will have access to that within twelve hours. Is there anything else I can help you with today, Smith-san?"

I looked up from sorting the money in my wallet and took a moment to think.

"No, thank you. That's everything I need done for today," I glanced at the clock; 10:40am. "I need to go now. Thank you for your help, I'll be back on Monday to fill in any blanks."

"Of course," the man smiled, threading his fingers together on the table. "Have a good day, welcome to Namimori."

: : :

The real estate was only a five minute walk away from the bank and I had forty minutes to spare. I had time to have a quick breakfast, huzzah!

The little fountain in the market square was fast becoming my touchstone marker and snacky spot in Namimori. Right in the centre of everything, most of my directions stemmed from this fountain. Takesushi was northwest of the fountain, the library and register centre south-east near the green space.

The fountain bubbled happily under the light shower as I ate my jam sandwiches and sipped my water bottle.

After I got the keys, I'd need to clean the place. And install a few of my own locks, maybe change some of the screws in the front door. I wondered if Nana would let me borrow her vacuum for an afternoon.

And then there was the matter of furniture. I could get a sleeping bag, maybe some kind of air mattress. Maybe a little space heater, it was getting hellishly cold at night. I didn't want to spend any big bucks on large items like beds or couches but...

I didn't know how long I was going to be lost. It had already been a week and I couldn't find anyone-

I took a long breath and sipped my bottle. I couldn't stress out just before the meeting with the realtor.

Instead, I pulled out my phone and started searching around the area for department stores or second-hand retailers. After some scrolling, I had located a discount homewares store down the southside of Namimori, inside a large warehouse to boot. The pictures made it look chaotic, with random chairs, mismatched dining sets and bins upon bins of patchwork blankets and random tea towels. A weirdly painted ceramic rooster had its own picture on the site's page for some reason as well.

"That could work," I murmured to myself, quickly writing down the address in my notebook that was getting more use now than ever. Just in case, I drew up a mock little map and circled the corner it was on with a quick 'investigate warehouse' note to myself. It made me feel more productive.

Just as I was about to close my phone, I spotted an ad for an online store for miscellaneous household needs - this time advertising a futon. I'd heard of them before, but never slept on one myself.

With a squint I opened the ad and peered around. I found a full set including mattress and 'kakebuton' and covers, with two colour options and a reasonable price tag. It also looked more comfortable, I don't think I could afford slacking off at work because of back issues. And it was washable, which trumped a sleeping bag anyday.

"What the hell is a kakebuton?" I asked and opened another tab to search the term. "Ah, like a doona, quilt thing."

I glanced over at the price point, ¥5990 yen. $63.24 AUD. $70.24 if you included delivery.

But it was new. No one else had slept on it before, so there was no danger of bedbugs, random human bodily fluids or suspicious stains. Maybe it was petty and trivial, but I'd feel so much better sleeping in something a bit more expensive and new than mystery, crusty, second-hand bedding.

"Cash on delivery," I noted absently at the delivery options. It could come in two days as well.

"I'll make a note of that," I murmured and saved the link.

Then my phone buzzed, my alarm going off to tell me to start heading to the real estate agency. I packed up my bottle and now empty sandwich-bento box, double checked my important documents folder, and got to my feet.

Saturday To Do List

- Office supply store (X)

- Pick up hanko (X)

- Go to Namimori Centre to register Jitsu (across from Library) (X)

- Go to bank: open account + register Ginko (X)

- Meet Real Estate Agent 11:15AM ( )

- Meet bouncy kid in afternoon ( )

One more big Adult Task for the day and then we're done for a while.

I spent the walk to the agency psyching myself up, assuring myself that the big real estate man wasn't going to scream at me for being inexperienced or poor and that no, I wasn't going to somehow magically forget how to read - as a matter of fact, I had magically learnt to read Japanese!

I felt a jolt of panic hit me in the throat. Okay, right, not thinking about that now. Gonna put that back in its box for a later date.

The agency was just around the corner when my phone buzzed again; a notification. I bit down on the rise of hope, I should be learning by now. It was probably just the bank sending me an email for opening an account.

I was about to reach for my phone when the growingly familiar 'clomp! Clomp!' of boots rung out, and Hibari in his bright yellow raincoat came around the corner.

Hibari stopped when he saw me and planted his feet with a solid 'thonk!' His face warbled with badly hidden surprise, before the boy yanked his expression flat again.

I smiled in greeting, trying to shake that dark mood that hung over my head a second ago.

"Hello Hibari-san," I hummed, "Are you patrolling again?"

The boy stared at me for a moment before he announced, "Indeed. I just finished-" he paused and the man who always seemed nearby appeared from around the corner as well, knelt down and whispered something in his ear. "Interrogating a herbivore."

I glanced to the man and then back to Hibari.

"Very well, I see you're as thorough as always," I chose to say, not enough spare brain-space to process that. It seemed to be the correct choice as Hibari puffed his chest out. "I'm glad to have run into you again, Hibari-san, however I have an appointment to get to. Perhaps we can meet again later?"

I looked around for that carer that was with him a moment ago, but he had disappeared again, leaving me with the child.

Hibari peered at me and his lips pulled into the slightest of pouts, but nodded firmly after a moment.

"Very well," he echoed what I had said before. "We will meet again after your appointment. Goodbye Mary-san."

And with that, he ran off, his little booties making 'clomp! Clomp! Clomp!'s into the distance.

"Ah, Smith-san! Welcome!" The man with salt and pepper hair, who had shown me my future apartment, greeted me at the door, looking as sweaty as ever, wringing his hands. "You're right on time, come in, come in."

I inclined my head politely as I entered, voice caught in my throat until I was guided to a desk and encouraged to sit.

"So," the man said as he sat himself down across the desk. "Today we'll be signing the lease agreement and submitting the lease deposit. Is there anything you'd like to ask before we start?"

I tongued at the back of my teeth but shook my head, "No, no questions. Yet."

The man smiled blankly, and he seemed to look through me and to the wall instead.

"Great! Then let's get started. What I have here is the lease agreement, take your time reading through it. Usually I would have emailed this to you, but we're skipping a few formalities."

I took a small stack of paper off the man's hands, the agreement a list of clauses and conditions of occupation. There were at least twenty clauses, but they all seemed to cover the same concept: I get to live in the apartment so long as I pay the rent on time in full, don't decimate the flat, and can return it as I found it. That and all laundry was to be hung within the bounds of the balcony and not on the railings.

It all seemed fair, especially at the price point.

I turned to the back page and frowned, a small clause written in a different font and point size like it was edited in afterwards hastily.

I read this one slowly.

The actions and alignments of the tenant are in no way legally or morally connected to the landlord. All actions of the tenant are their own.

I blinked. Weird but okay; you'd think that wouldn't need to be written down. Guess this landlord really likes to cover his arse.

"I accept all of these," I uttered and the agent beamed and flipped the pages until we came to the form section.

I stamped my Jitsu-in, taking a moment to marvel at the kanji equivalent of my name printed so nicely in red ink.

With a great heave, and withholding a wince, I proceeded to hand over the multiple payments for my new apartment. Watching the numbers stung. The security deposit was ¥82682.51, key money was ¥12,500, and the first month's rent atop that was ¥50,000. A whopping total of ¥145,182.51 or $1,536.61 Australian dollars.

And just like that, I had $963.39 left in my bank account.

"Janet's never getting that new Playstation," I sighed to myself.

I had worked so hard saving up that money. Had spent months weaselling it safely away so that come the holidays I could splash some cash on my cousins. Jeremy was finally old enough to ride a bike with training wheels. I was going to get him a bicycle with little tassels, he would have been so cute. Tassels!

I looked at the bill summary. ¥145,182.51. I had ¥90,938.24 left. It sounded like a lot, but now, more than ever, I had realised just how quickly numbers could tick down as life stacked up.

"Here we go, Smith-san!" The agent panted as he came back, a tell-tale jangle coming from his hand. "The key to unit 3."

"Thank you," I said, and withheld a wince when my voice came out too dry and hollow.

Ah, this wouldn't do. I needed to calm down, redirect my attention.

The agent smiled thinly at me, a new sheet of sweat making his forehead shine.

"Is there anything else I need?" I asked politely as I took all my copies of rental agreements and placed them in my folder.

"No! We're all done. Our number is on the document, so if anything comes up, don't, uh, hesitate to call!" He denied, wringing his hands and glancing at the clock.

Maybe he had an appointment after this, he seemed nervous. I felt bad about taking up his time then and quickly shoved the folder in my bag.

"Thank you for your help," I smiled, and the agent nearly grit his teeth at me as I walked out to the street.

I had a key. I had an apartment. I had a solid place to live for at least ninety days.

I let out a breath and watched it fog in front of me, yet another layer of weight peeling from my shoulders. Shaking myself out, I grabbed my umbrella and put it up, holding tight as another gale blasted through.

Apparently, it had started raining when I had been in the real estate agency, and it had come with a vengeance. Around me, people were closing their doors against the slanted rain, the street long abandoned of anyone with a right mind.

I stopped next to the bubbling fountain, as wet as the paths, and looked at the time. 12:03PM.

My head snapped up and I stared at the fountain.

…He wouldn't. Right? In this weather?

That kid from the park yesterday; he'd have gone home by now, right? He wouldn't be out in this rain, right? His parents - they would have brought him home, they wouldn't have let him go out in the rain like this.

I spun to face south and took off running.

My umbrella pulled and tugged on the wind and water splashed up onto my socks as I mapped the way to the park. I kept my head up and eyes out, trying to find any sign of the young boy from yesterday.

I made it all the way to the park, panting and utterly drenched. My feet sank into the boggy soil as I scanned the park.

It didn't take long to notice a mass of shocking, bright yellow and silver hunched under a tree. The young boy was crouched on his haunches, arms wrapped around his knees and hood hanging over his face. Even from this distance, I could see a little nose peeking out, flushed red from the cold.

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" I yelped and ran forward.

The boy looked up and I barely withheld a shout when I saw how wet he was, covered in mud and water. The soil around the area was upturned, boot prints crushing grass and mixing mud. He was practically caked in it, up to his knees in muck.

The moment he saw me, the boy's face broke into an unbridled grin. He unwrapped his arms and waved wildly, his high-vis raincoat flashing in the dull light of the storm.

"Hi! Hi! I beat you! Can we play now?! I was waiting for so looong!"

Mud slipped under my heel and I nearly slammed into the child as I came to a stop, umbrella basically useless against the near-vertical rain. I stared down at the drenched boy, disbelief making me speechless.

I wanted to scream: "Do you realise how bad the weather is?! Go home! Why are you still here!?"

But instead, as the boy rose out of his hunch, I bent at the knees until I matched his height. I stared at him as he started to sway and bounce, impatient and looking so cold. His flashy raincoat may have been keeping the rain off now, but whatever play the boy had been getting up to before had left him drenched. His clothes were sticking to his skin under layers of mud and grass, and once again his hair was flat against his head.

"Bean," I said very slowly, holding down every desire I had to wrangle this boy back to his house and into something warm and fuzzy. "It is raining. Very hard."

"Yeah! Kaa-san says it'll last all week!" He agreed boisterously, he looked like he was about to take off running.

"Bean," I said again, and he looked to me at his dubbed title. "We can't play in the rain like this. You need to go home and dry off."

"Huh?" The boy whined, "But it's, like, only just started raining! It'll stop real soon!"

Another wave hit the town like a sheet and the chatter of rain kicked up into a near deafening roar off of the rooftops.

"I don't think so, bean."

The boy looked around at the rain, visibly upset that the climate itself had outright disagreed with him.

"That- That's fine though! Rain is fine! We can play! We can do it, I believe in us!" He insisted, looking at me nearly pleadingly, his brows starting to furrow.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I didn't want to take my eyes off the boy in front of me, but something pushed me to check my notifications anyway.

Hazardous weather warning: low-level typhoon to affect greater Namimori area. Seek shelter.

Shit. I had to get this kid home or indoors. Quickly.

"I've been waiting for so long! I even wore the see-me coat!" The boy continued over my thoughts and I blinked.

"See-me?" I echoed, thrown off-balance for a moment.

"Yeah! When I gotta run it out when it's dark or rainy, tou-san gives me my coat! So people can see me! You saw me, it works!"

He opened his arms wide and showed me his raincoat, construction-standard, high-visibility yellow with reflective silver stripes. It was too big on him too, though it looked like someone had tried to tailor it down a few sizes.

"It's a nice raincoat, bean," I assured, "But a typhoon's coming, so we need to get you home. Do you know where your house is? Can I walk you?"

Immediately, the boy clammed up. He watched me from under his lashes, and even took a small step back.

I blinked at the sudden change in mood. He seemed cautious all of a sudden.

Oh no. Heck, did I enter the creeper zone? The kid was giving off some serious 'stranger-danger' energy, watching me carefully and letting his eyes glance around.

I back peddled, "I won't walk you home if you don't want me to, that's completely fine. I just need you to go home before the typhoon hits." I offered the boy my phone, "Do you know your parents' number? Or your home phone?"

At the mention of 'home', the boy took another short step back and away from my outstretched hand.

Okay. Not ideal.

"Okay, so not home then," I placated and pocketed my phone to save it from the rain. I looked around and tried to get my bearings, and where I was in reference to everything else.

Where could I take this kid that I knew was safe?

I was south of the fountain. If I kept heading south I'd be at my hotel, but like hell was I taking this child to the hotel, I was trying to cover for him not get myself on a watch list.

I was south. Takesushi was north, that's too far. The town centre? It took me nearly half an hour to run here, we didn't have that time anymore.

My pocket buzzed incessantly with a phone call and I swallowed a curse. I swore if this was some emergency centre asking me why I was hanging out in the park during a typhoon, I was going to cry and make everyone feel bad and uncomfortable.

Incoming Call: Sawada Nana…

"Hi, sorry, this is kind of a bad time, Nana," I apologised briefly.

"You…You can come here," came the soft, quiet voice from the other side.

I blinked, "Tsuna-kun?"

"Mary-san, needs help," Tsuna pushed, and I stared at the kid across from me. "If you need somewhere- somewhere safe, my house is good! Mary-san can come to my house!"

I yanked at my perspective of the town of Namimori and its winding suburbs. The first time I had been to Tsuna's house, we had gone the most convoluted way possible, it had felt like ages. The second time, Nana and I had walked from the 24-hour convenience store. This time, I was already three-quarters of the way there, barely a five-minute run and some turns.

"-u-kun! Tsu-kun, who are you calling?" Nana's voice came from the phone and Tsuna cried out as his mother took the phone from him. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Nana-san!" I called and the woman let out a sound of surprise, "Would you mind if I ducked into your place for a bit to wait out this storm? I've uh," I glanced to the young boy in front of me who had begun to move again, pacing and drawing in the dirt with his boot heel. "Got caught up with something."

"Mary-san? Of course! What were you doing out in the rain, didn't see the warning on the news?" The mother lectured in a panic. "Yes! Come as quick as you can, my gosh!"

"Give me one second," I asked and pulled the phone to my chest.

I shuffled closer to the boy in front of me, and he spun back around now that my attention was back on him.

"You don't want to go home," I said, reiterating his refusal. The boy shifted, and I wondered if I had missed the mark. But details could come later. "Will you come with me to a friend's house? It's safe, and they have a kid too. Around your age. Then we can get his mum to call your parents, okay?"

Then I added, "I promise I won't ask about your home again. I just want you somewhere safe from the typhoon, bouncy bean."

As if on command, the boy jumped and broke out into a grin as he started bouncing on the spot.

"Yeah! Sure, yeah, and then can we play a game? Can we play the game with the kid? Does he know any games or can I teach him ours!?" He rambled, suddenly active again.

"We can play some games, but we'll have to be polite to other people's houses," I assured, giving a breath of relief. I pulled my phone back up. "Nana-san, did you get all that? Are you okay if I bring a child to you?"

"Again, yes!" She huffed, nearly impatient with worry at me. "How soon can I expect you here?"

"Maybe five minutes, I'll try to be faster," I answered as I got to my feet with a groan. "I'll see you soon, Nana-san, Tsuna-kun."

I shoved my phone into my bag and zipped everything nice and tight. The wind snatched and snagged at my umbrella, threatening to invert it, so I folded the umbrella up and stashed it away as well, accepting the downpour on my head.

"Come on, bean, let's get out of this storm!" I made myself laugh, and the buzzing energy in the boy didn't need any encouragement as we both took off in a run through the rain.

I was starting to understand that coat now, throughout the run through near blinding rain, never once did I lose sight of the boy who ran beside me. He was painfully obvious, never lost or caught underfoot.

His dad was onto something, I guessed.

"Turn here," I shouted over the roar of the storm and shoved my way past the gate, palming the wall for the bell as I did. "Nana-san!"

The door opened as I herded the boy down the path, and Tsuna stood in the threshold, holding it open against the wind. Tsuna stared at me with wide, alert eyes as I entered the cover of the porch, dripping wet.

I looked down at him through my rain-speckled glasses, recognising that long, aware gaze from when I had first met him days ago. He looked me up and down, surveying, before shifting his attention to the boy at my side.

He blinked - then immediately, little Tsuna withered away from the new person, almost hiding behind the door as he drew an arm to his chest in nervousness.

"Mary-san!" Nana gasped as she came running down the stairs, arms piled high with towels and two pairs of spare house slippers. "Come in! Tsu-kun close the door quickly!"

"Hi, Nana-san," I greeted sheepishly, before spluttering as a towel was shoved over my head.

"Oh, look at you both! Sopping wet! You'll catch a cold at this rate, come on, let's get you a bath." Nana scolded as she knelt to dry off the face of the boy beside me, who was still grinning from the full sprint through the rain.

"But I don't have any other clothes," I protested before biting my tongue when the woman whipped around on me.

"We have plenty of spare clothes for the both of you, now take off your coats!" Then Nana rounded on Tsuna and ordered, "Go get some of my clothes."

Tsuna glanced at me from under his lashes and ran off up the stairs to complete the request.

"Okay," I appeased and put my hands up to show surrender, but slightly side-stepped until I put myself between the mum on a roll and the boy. I crouched down again, ignoring the squelch of my socks as I addressed him, "Bean, do you want to have a warm bath? We won't come into the bathroom while you're in there, I promise."

"Yeah! But then we can play, right?!" He pushed again, rocking on his heels and wringing the towel around his shoulders.

"Of course," I smiled and he bounced on the spot.

"Okay! Okay! Then I bags first bath! I'm super quick, I promise!" The boy assured and nearly bolted from the spot if I hadn't grabbed him by the high-vis hood.

"Hold your horses, bean, you'll trek mud all over Nana-san's house!" I teased, and helped him wrestle his raincoat and boots off, wet socks nearly suction-cupping to the soles.

Tsuna came back with his arms full of clothes, some his mother's and some his own. He stood beside his mother unsurely, looking between her and me.

Nana smiled and put her hand on Tsuna's shoulder.

"Tsu-kun, can you take him to the bathroom?"

Tsuna gave his mother a look of aghast betrayal. He thinned his lips and hid his face behind the pile of clothes in his arms, observing the soaking boy.

"Please, Tsuna-san?" I urged. I needed to talk to Nana privately, so the boys had to go. "He doesn't bite, I promise!"

"Yeah! I don't bite! Kaa-san says I stopped biting ages ago! When I was, like, a baby!" The boy agreed enthusiastically, and Tsuna seemed to shrink from the noise he made.

Well, he was right. This boy practically had bagpipes for lungs, built to be blasted from the hilltops, but not the best for enclosed spaces.

I let out a sigh and was about to take the boy to the bathroom myself. Then Tsuna peeked up at me and, very poutish, said, "I can take him."

"Thank you, little bean," I cooed and Tsuna's cheeks flushed pink at the praise.

"Eh?! I thought I was bean!" The boy gasped, and bent over backwards to see me even as I pushed him forward to go get warm.

"You're a different bean!" I explained with a smile, holding his weight as he rocked and swayed. "You're a bouncy bean, Tsuna-san is a smart bean!"

"Oh!" He all but shouted and I felt my eardrum flex. "Okay, come on smart bean! Let's go! I wanna play, so we gotta go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go-"

The two boys disappeared up the stairs, but I wouldn't be surprised if Tsuna remembered this day darkly as he was all but dragged by the wrist.

Nana and I stared after them for a long moment, before the mother let out a giggle at her son's expense.

"I wish Tsu-kun had that much energy," she sighed wistfully.

"I think Tsuna-san would disagree," I laughed, before toeing off my shoes and peeling my socks off my feet. "Sorry about this, Nana-san. I just got that notification when I found him and you were the closest safe space."

"Don't worry about it! I'd hate for something to happen to you, Mary-san! If you're ever in trouble, you can come straight here."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," I soothed, before wincing when the woman had to help me wriggle my way out of my soaking suit jacket. "Oh man, this is dry clean only."

"We'll worry about that later," Nana assured and threw the jacket into a bucket full of soaked clothes. "Now, did that boy give you a phone number to call his parents with?"

"Uh," I paused wiping down my messenger bag, "I tried to get a number, but he was pretty tight-lipped about it. His home number especially."

Nana blinked and then narrowed her eyes, "You don't think that…"

"I don't think so, no," I frowned, "He didn't seem scared. More, uh, defensive? He didn't want to give me any information about his address."

"Really. Well, when he comes out, we'll try to have him call his parents instead, again." Nana decided and I gave an agreeing nod. "What's his name? Maybe I could look up his parents' number in the phone book."

I opened my mouth, then paused.

"Uh…" I uttered, realisation dawning on me.

"Mary-san," Nana breathed, seeming exasperated as she put her hands on her hips.

"Sorry," I apologised meekly and ducked my head a bit, a lock of hair sticking to my face. "His name wasn't exactly my priority when a typhoon was about to land. I've never dealt with a typhoon before, so I kind of freaked out."

Nana's expression softened when I admitted that, and I took a moment to run my hand through my hair and get it out of my face.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait for your new 'bean' to come back down then," Nana hummed, and then handed me another towel before taking the step toward the kitchen. "Would you like tea, or hot cocoa, Mary-san? We have little marshmallows!"

I peered at the woman from behind the towel, before giving her a thankful smile. I took off my glasses and scrubbed my face quickly and answered, "Hot cocoa, please."