Withering Heart

by Hunter13hawkie

Everyone sees him as the lost cause, but she sees a boy with broken heart. He no longer trusts anyone, he no longer wants to be a part of this world, he just wants this pain to end... but this annoying embodiment of a sunshine won't let him. Will she be the one to show him there might be more to this world than just pain and betrayal? Parental Nahida / Scara - Foster Family

4. Learning the Important Things

Hi... I know it's been a long time since this fic has been updated and I'm really sorry it took such a long time.

To keep it short, my mental health has been a mess, I was busy with a lot of things and overall my heart just wasn't there. I'm not easily satisfied with my work, I do a lot of research especially when it comes to modern AUs and I really want to you to feel what characters are feeling which is never a simple job. But I managed to finish this chapter and there is more planned.

I truly hope this new chapter was worth the wait.

---

Chapter 4: Learning Important Things

It's been a little more than a week since he has been starting to live with his new foster parent. Usually that was the time when the welcome of his caretakers would start to die down, bringing out the new side of them. Sometimes the sweet overbearing types would turn out to be actually the right opposite, sometimes he got lost among the existing crowd of children…

… sometimes there was no welcome to begin with.

He honestly preferred the latter, getting used to what awaited him in the future without a sudden change. Though many times those types turned out to be one of the worst and didn't last long with him or made his already troubling state worse. His hands almost instinctively reached for his chest, covering them up to protect himself from the incoming impact…

Except there was no need for it.

Just the morning rays of sunshine filling up the room, the smell of freshly made tea and clacking of dishes in the kitchen

The boy tiredly rubbed his eyes before getting off the couch. By now this was the place where he slept, his actual bed practically untouched and neatly tidied up just like the day he first saw it. Nahida did encourage him to take short naps there or at least lie on it while reading textbooks, one of the ways to get him more familiar with his room, but he almost always ended up back on the couch or greenhouse. One time Nahida even found him napping in the bunny room on one of Irmi's pillows. Despite how peaceful he looked, she had to eventually drag him back to the living room due to lower temperature in the bunny room to which he protested but more or less let her half-carry him out after refusing to move.

Even though he was only slightly shorter than her, the boy was surprisingly very light and barely got any meat on his bones. Nahida was well aware of his medical file that stated he was underweight and had issues with food, but only once she took a hold of his frail body in her arms did reality kick in.

It was really hard to watch him never empty his plate entirely even though he almost always helped out in the kitchen. Despite his good cooking skills, he didn't seem to be bothered with eating it. Best he could do was perhaps little more than a half of a plate with some occasional snacks, but even those seemed more like something he'd use to chew on rather than eat. Nahida had already tried every recipe that even the pickiest children loved, but none seemed to make a difference. She will definitely need to contact a nutritionist soon, if anything at least to keep his immunity in check now that the rainy season is coming soon.

Other than that, things have seemed to be going well. He'd help with all chores with no protest, read the textbooks and sometimes even did a little small talk, mostly when cooking or playing a video game. While they didn't do any more so-called "mushroom shopping", they did go outside a couple of times, at the little forest path just behind the house. Irmi was used to leash and happily bounced around, sniffing any plant he could find. The boy was still very confused about seeing a bunny on a leash but by the second time they went out, he held onto it with no issues. Nahida was beyond happy to see him following Irmi around like the bunny was his guide, exploring the forest along with him.

It was when she wanted to take a photo of him that things went a bit sour.

Before she could even snap it, the boy instantly looked straight at her with a glare and shouted the word "no". It was almost in the same manner as when he shouted at Tighnari's garden along with his hands trembling to the point of dropping the leash. Part of her wanted to rush to him to ask him what was wrong, but the third rule of "no pity" flashed across her eyes. As calmly as she could she nodded and asked him if he wanted to take photos of her and Irmi instead.

The response surely seemed to calm him down right away and he went on to take several photos throughout the whole walk. By the time they got back he already headed for the couch, taking a rather long nap. Nahida took note of this, since all the outbursts he had so far tired him up a lot, especially if he didn't eat much that day.

A week later it didn't improve significantly, nor did it get worse, though she could tell that he was getting tense and there needed to be a few changes.

Fortunately, the homeschooling program was close to being done so in a few days the much needed changes will be there. She didn't want to let him know this early in the morning, so she just let him feed Irmi as always and set the breakfast on the table.

He could tell there was something going on since by now he noticed a certain kind of behavior from his guardian whenever she wanted to tell him something important. Usually she gave him a lot more time and space or just kept making sure he was ready to process it. In a way he was glad she was so caring though at the same time another part of him was highly suspicious of an ulterior motive. Still, after more than three weeks, Miss Kusanali wasn't acting that much different from the first time they met by that sunsettia tree.

He really wanted this to go on, but he was scared that it was nearing the time when things would usually go wrong.

What would he do this time? Or more likely, what would his guardian do?

"Kunikuzushi?"

Right… that was his name.

"Yeah?"

"I was telling you about your homeschooling sessions in a few days. You didn't say anything."

Right… he also still had a tendency to get lost in his thoughts. Most of the time he could fake it by saying the sizzling of the pan was too loud or that he was distracted by something he saw. This time he had no excuse since he was just poking around his small pile of rice that was getting cold.

"Great, I guess." he put down the fork since he no longer had any appetite left.

Miss Kusanali sighed.

"I don't want to force you, but a couple of shorter sessions per week would really help you." she said in a slightly firmer tone "It will help you understand the textbooks that you read better and you will be able to find the answers on your own without a need to question me."

Right… if she only knew…

"You are really bright for your age and Candace really praised your many skills as well as your ability to learn fast. I only wish to offer you an opportunity to keep developing your curiosity and creativity." miss Kusanali reached for a folder that had been lying on the counter since lunch began "But I will also understand if you're not ready yet. There is no use in learning if it's forced, you have to be the one wanting to learn."

That made him look up, half wondering if his guardian truly meant these words or not. So far he didn't have many homeschooling lessons and those few he had ended in a disaster or he outright refused them in the first place. It wasn't that he didn't like studying itself, just… just that it was a reminder of…

No no no he mustn't think about it, not now that things seemed to have been going well.

"I'll… try." he uttered at last, doing his best to keep the trembling hands under the table.

"Don't worry, I know the tutors well and they are both very patient as well as understanding. If there will be anything you'll feel uncomfortable about, you can freely tell them and they will make it work for you."

"Tutors?" the boy raised his eyebrows at the words "Aren't you going to teach me?"

"Unfortunately I'm not qualified for ages ten and up, I will still help you out with basics and homework though or anything besides it. One of the tutors you have already met."

She probably meant Tighnari, her mushroom obsessed neighbor since other than him, no other person stopped by her house. He would bring groceries and probably the mushrooms from the garden too since they didn't do any gathering since that day. The man was of slender build with dark green hair and few light green streaks, though for some reason the boy felt like there was something missing on his head. It was probably due to new character design add-ons in Fortress of Medieval that he won recently, a pair of big fluffy cat ears and tail (that Nahida managed to convince him to put on his character somehow). He didn't know why, but such an add-on would suit the man really well, but he kept it to himself, especially when he wasn't aware that he had been staring at him and his guardian exchanging a few words for a while.

Other than the fact that he was a botanist working at the nearby forest area as the leader of Forest Rangers and occasionally did some side projects, he didn't know much about him. The man was rather bold when talking to miss Kusanali, mostly complaining about people eating and gathering the wrong mushrooms though also mentioning two names a lot, Cyno and Collei. He remembered his guardian mentioning them a couple of times so they must've been his roommates? Family? People he worked with? He wasn't that sure and he didn't want to pry into it either.

Miss Kusanali talked some more about his other tutor as they were washing the dishes, a little about what kind of approach she used as well about all the kids she homeschooled. Most of that talk went over the boy's head, his thoughts clouding his mind with memories from previous homes. At one point he fastened up the washing and the second he was done he headed straight for the greenhouse. By now he was fully comfortable on the swing sofa, curling up on one side facing the window and slightly rising sun.

…

Gradually the green plants turned into grassfields, the Ajilenakh palm tree gradually changed into a tree covered by numerous pink blossoms and the vast forestry hills turned into sparkling ocean. He was there… the place he missed so dearly, just the warm grass, the clicking of onikabuto and brilliant red sun slowly sinking in the ocean. Many times did he wonder what lies beyond those waves, the places he saw in books and television. He really wished to visit them all one day, taking photos, trying out different foods… just wandering around until reaching the end.

Though as much as he fantasized about the lands of sand, cities on water and great mountains, he always wanted to come back. It might've been just a small village on a tiny island miles away from the nearest major city, but it was his home. There was something special about it that he just couldn't find anywhere else.

Especially when he came to pick him up.

"You're going to catch a cold one of these days, it is not summer yet." a man wearing a bandana sighed as he tried to pick him up "Come on, Katsuragi made a big hot pot."

"Just a bit more." the boy closed his eyes "I want to see the sun disappear!"

"Don't blame me if there is nothing left by the time we get back."

Instead of picking him up, the man placed him in his lap, watching as the sun cast the light over Nazuchi beach and a few shipwrecks from centuries ago that were now nothing more but a tourist attraction and reminder of old Inazuman times.

No matter how big his wish to see the world was, he wanted moments like this to last forever. Just this scenery, the grass, the cherry blossoms and…

… him?

The boy turned around and the man was gone.

He quickly looked around, desperately searching for that man, but the more he looked, the more different everything around him looked. Gone were falling petals of cherry blossoms, the ocean view, the flickering grass in the breeze… instead of that there were just dark rooms, empty hallways and that bright place with mirrors…

No, no, no, get away! I don't want to be here!

He ran, going in the direction that had the tiniest bit of memory left but the more he ran, the more he started to notice the flames surrounding him. He felt the burning in his lungs, the tears blinding his vision and then… it stopped?

No, he was just running through the same hallway with no flames. It was so empty and white, nothing even remotely colorful or warm. Everywhere he looked was the same and as he continued to run around, one thing was certain.

He'll get nowhere.

Place was too big, there was no direction, nothing to guide him.

He was alone.

His knees buckled down as he tried to think of how to get away, but no matter what he thought he couldn't focus at all. No one was there, just him and the emptiness of white space.

For a very brief second he thought he saw someone, instantly getting up to reach them.

He didn't know who he was, but it didn't matter, he just wanted someone!

"Niwa!" he shouted as loud as he could "Please! Don't leave me alone!"

But there was nothing.

Just a dead end.

White walls keeping him imprisoned.

The only thing he saw was black as he lost consciousness.

…

"Come on, wake up!"

The boy opened his eyes, seeing a dark blur of green and feeling the hard floor. The dream was still so real to him, but he didn't want her to know as he slowly tried to get up.

"Easy… you hit your head." miss Kusanalii set the pillow behind his neck as she placed him against the wall.

Only now did he feel the pain at the top of his head as well as some blood dripping down his face. His guardian was busy getting a box that was likely a first aid kit from underneath the swing sofa, taking the disinfectant and gauze out. He felt the cold touch of a portable ice pack as soon as the cut was taken care of, its cool touch gradually easing the growing bruise.

"You probably hit the metal armrest of the swing sofa. Do you feel dizzy or nauseous?" the woman asked after some time.

He wasn't sure himself since all he wanted to do was sleep, any other sensation being completely numb. His eyelids were keen on sliding down, but the fresh images of a certain white place threatened to come back.

"No…" he uttered as he leaned against the pillow more.

"That's good, let's just take it easy for a while, okay?" she said once she let out a sigh of relief "I was really worried when I heard you scream."

The boy's eyes went wide from surprise, instantly wanting to hide somewhere, but miss Kusanali firmly held him still. This wasn't the first time a child under her care got hurt and she took every injury seriously.

"Did you have a bad dream?" she asked as he still attempted to avoid eye contact "There is nothing wrong about having them… well it would be better if we didn't, but there is no shame in being afraid of them."

He didn't say anything to that and just waited in awkward silence while still trying to look anywhere but near her until she determined him to be well enough to move around. By now he could feel the bump forming, probably with an addition of bruising considering the fact that the impact was hard enough to break the skin. The gauze was also replaced by one of those cartoony band-aids that miss Kusanali seemed to never run out of, at least based on how many she had already on hand.

This wasn't in fact the first time he got injured in the last couple of weeks. There was nothing major, but it was still worrying how often it happened. Sometimes he wouldn't even notice papercuts until he was bleeding profusely, other times he'd run into a wall or door knobs without a wince. The most he'd react was when he accidentally dropped a plate after drying it, the thing breaking after falling on his foot and even then he was more concerned about the broken plate than the possibility of having his own toes fractured.

Both Candace and Dehya talked about his many minor injuries at Aaru Group Home and were both concerned how little he reacted to them, especially when the case with a broken glass jug happened. Nahida did her best not to fret about them since it was very obvious that the boy considered this as breaking his third rule, however she did set a condition about emergencies. Still… seeing him trying to hide and not reacting to the pain, treating it more like a nuisance than a very valid response made her that much more worried.

Just what he had been through to develop such behavior? And to be so embarrassed about it too…

The boy didn't do much once they were back at the living room since she cleared him off any study duties or chores for the rest of the day to make him rest. He just sat cross-legged by the coffee table, leaning against the couch as he fiddled around with one of those wooden puzzles where you have to take them apart. Irmi hopped around him for some time and then settled down in his lap to keep him company.

Nahida also finished most of her work by then and thought of how to connect with the boy for that evening. Most of the time they would be playing that video game or go through her board game collection. She recently introduced him to TCG, but considering he still hasn't put together his deck or seemed to be in the mood for anything too complicated, she thought of another activity.

The boy gave her a confused look when she set several paper squares on the coffee table before him, wondering what she was up to.

"Have you ever folded origami? I've heard it is pretty popular in Inazuma."

He didn't say anything to that other than making a small nod.

"Great, let's make some together!"

Origami or paper folding craft was one of those few activities that spoke to older kids who no longer found finger painting or playdough entertaining. It was also a nice exercise for both mind and precise motoric functions for hands. They started with a few simple ones, like butterfly and a bird, then went on with a crane, lily and peacock. In less than an hour there was already a small army of paper creatures at the coffee table in various shapes and colors. Nahida was rather impressed how fast he was at following her instructions, almost simultaneously folding with her and finishing mere seconds after her.

"This is really impressive!" she exclaimed right after they were done making a rather difficult origami of a winged dragon "You said you made it before, any we haven't made yet?"

"I know one…" he muttered as he dug through colorful sheets of paper until taking an indigo one.

Unlike previous ones, he took his time with it.

In a slow and meticulous manner, he carefully folded the edges of paper as if it may fall apart if he doesn't do it right. Several times he stopped, probably trying to remember the next step. He even made a few mistakes, but was still trying to fix it up in some way. At one point he crumpled the paper until it looked unusable and he had to start over. Nahida could tell that moment was very tense and he was ready to tear his failed work apart to soothe his anger.

But after a while it was done.

It looked like a little angel in a long gown holding a heart.

He very carefully placed it next to all the other little paper crafts, pointing those few edges to help it stand more straight and then just stared at it in some sort of silent serenity. His caretaker could tell there was a major story behind it and didn't pry, even when he silently muttered it was something he learned back in Inazuma. She did ask if she could put it in her office since she loves to keep the crafts of her wards in there, to which he nodded, his eyes still following it as she took it away. The little angel got a spot on a shelf right above her computer alongside a great number of framed photos, clay crafts, scrolls with poems and other creations from her wards' hands.

By the time she was back, the boy was back at the couch, wrapped up in a blanket behind his fortress of pillows. This usually meant he was either done for the day or just wanted his own sort of privacy since he was still very used to both falling asleep and waking up knowing his guardian was there. As much as she wanted him to rest, she did have to clear up something with him as she handed him his meds.

"I know the accident was beyond your control, but after what happened today, I don't think I can let you sleep on your own in the greenhouse anymore." she started to which the boy's body visibly tensed "The swing sofa isn't really meant to be slept on and you've seen it yourself just how hard its frame is. Of course you can still spend the time in the greenhouse, just not on your own."

The boy was either too tired or just didn't care enough to be mad about the new rule as he simply buried himself deeper under the blanket right after taking his sleeping pill.

…

In the following days, he was slowly preparing for his first tutoring session. Well, first one with the tutor he hasn't met yet since mister Tighnari dropped by two days earlier. Apparently he was still fresh out of the most recent school tour around the forest and was more than glad to continue the lessons with someone "old enough to understand that licking everything you see is not good".

The start of the lessons was more or less mister Tighnari ranting about having to literally pull a mushroom out of a child's mouth and call an ambulance since even a small amount of ingested spores were enough for minor poisoning. He went on and on about how there were dangerous, do not eat/touch warnings everywhere, how he constantly reminded them about this one specific mushroom and went into detail about how dangerous they were.

"But nah, that kid thought it would be cool to poison himself, could you believe that?!"

Well mister Tighnari was certainly unique and a rant about a disastrous forest tour was not something he expected for his first lesson. Fortunately the man seemed to be used to clearing up his thoughts fast and proceeded with the actual lesson. It was nothing really special since he mostly just asked him how much he knew about basic sumerian biology from the textbooks he read. The boy muttered a bit about flora, fauna and fungi as well as showed the material he used to learn about it. Tighnari wasn't that pushy with it and rather kept encouraging him to ask more questions which the boy did since he was in fact a tiny bit interested in the topic.

"Your guardian complimented your knowledge about Ajilenakh nuts, did you plant any before meeting her?" Tighnari asked once they got to desert flora.

"A few… we had a trip with a group home to a nearby town where we planted them."

"I see." the man turned a few pages in the textbook "You also know how to make candied Ajillnekh nuts right?"

"Yeah… but not on my own, miss Candace would help me."

"What about tea?"

The boy was a bit confused what he meant by tea but soon enough they were at the kitchen counter, preparing that very same tea mixture that he liked so much. Mister Tighnari patiently guided him through the whole process as well as telling him a bit more about the ingredients used for it. It was kind of interesting to hear that Rukkha sha va mushrooms used to be considered holy and were offered to Akademiya as divine legacy of an old Sumerian God.

He also didn't know that according to legends Kalpalata lotus was the first ever plant created in Sumeru which sort of made sense since they grew at the most impossible places like cliffs near waterfalls. They did have to skip the first few steps since all of the flowers and mushrooms had to be properly dried first, though mister Tighnari did invite him to visit whenever he was preparing the herbs and fungi for drying at his apartment. Each of them also had to be ground in a different way, some by hand, some by electric grinder, though Tighnari also described that before the machine, there were similar devices made for this purpose, they were just manually powered or run by water or wind currents.

In the end they both sat down with their cups of tea, mister Tighnari filling it up with extra Rukkshashava powder. The man complimented how fast he picked on instructions as well as his curiosity and said he was looking forward to tutoring him again. The boy nodded at that with a quiet thank you and silently he liked him as a teacher as well.

The other tutor was… odd to put it plainly.

She was pretty young at the first glance, wearing a dark blue dress as well as having enormous eyebags like she hadn't slept in days. In fact the way she swayed around made it look like she was half asleep until his guardian introduced him to her.

"Thank you again for dropping by!" miss Kusanali exclaimed without batting an eye at sleep deprived woman "Kunikuzushi, this is miss Layla. She is still Akademiya student, but also has a lot of experience with homeschooling your age group!"

"Ah hello there." she instantly perked up from her daze "Excuse my manners, I tend to doze off at times, but never during the lessons, so no worries about that!"

If anything, that sentence made him worry more.

"I would've brought Twirly Whirly with me, but your guardian mentioned you are not good with dogs."

"Who the hell names their dog Twirly Whirly? And why bring it to a homeschooling session?"

"He is my helping paw buddy." miss Layla explained with a sleepy smile "Some kids are more relaxed and have an easier time focusing when he's around, but not all of them. Well, let's get things started."

In the same manner as she walked in the house, she also walked to the table, emptying her bag of various textbooks, worksheets and notebooks. Miss Kusanali, in the meanwhile, was at her usual place at the living room office, doing something work related on her laptop. In a way the boy was glad that his guardian was close by since unlike mister Tighnari, he didn't know much about the new tutor other than what he saw right in front of him.

While her eyes were half closed she still seemed to know what she was doing as she prepared some basic worksheets with exercises, explaining to him what to do and ensuring him there is no time limit nor will it matter how much he gets right. The tasks looked simple enough, so without further ado he picked up the pen and got to work.

Biology and history ones he did the fastest since he got a lot of practice from Tighnari's lessons and documentaries he would watch on TV. Other subjects were so-so since he more or less knew the basics though none of them were particularly hard. When it came to languages he knew Sumerian and Inazuman well enough, even some Snezhnayan to add up. Any other languages like the ones spoken in Mondstadt and Fontaine were not really a thing since it was so far away but he did recall hearing it from some of the kids in group homes.

The whole time miss Layla would either prepare papers or seemed to work on the next step for their homeschooling session. The general test took him less than an hour and he would likely be done sooner if he didn't nearly freeze towards the end of it. He still completed it and masked his discomfort under the guise of wanting a quick snack from the fridge. Miss Kusanali did raise her eyebrows at that, but said nothing. In the meanwhile miss Layla put away the tests and brought up the next exercise.

For the next few hours they were mostly just going through a few texts that the boy either read out loud, answered the questions regarding the texts or summed them up in his own words. He also did some writing, mostly with Sumeru letters though he also still recalled several characters from the Inazuman alphabet as well as the one used in Liyue. The young woman also unfolded the whole map of Teyvat as well as a few smaller Sumeru based ones in greater detail, so they could check his geographical knowledge. To wrap up the whole session, the boy got a single piece of paper and a box of colored pencils and was asked to draw whatever he was feeling at the moment.

Since the last exercise was often not taken that seriously, miss Layla was rather pleased at how dedicated the boy seemed to be when carefully sketching a landscape in warm colors. At first she thought it was the desert, which made sense considering the boy was at Aaru's Group Home before being fostered by Nahida, but soon enough the orange and reds made it clear it wasn't a desert.

It was a setting sun.

As well as the grassy cliff, blooming cherry blossoms and the ocean reflecting the sunset.

And a person in working Inazuman attire observing it.

She could only assume the finished work wasn't just a momentary project but a very clear memory that meant something, especially when she remembered Nahida telling her about the origami angel he made. There surely was a sign the kid had a hidden passion for creativity. As much as she was curious about the story behind the pretty drawing she focused more on drawing techniques and the boy's sense for photo realism as it was part of her homeschooling program. Still it wouldn't hurt to discuss it with an art therapist to uncover some hidden emotions under the seemingly stoic boy, Layla thought to herself and made a note to thoroughly discuss it with Nahida later.

"Alright, this was a nice session and hopefully I didn't stress you too much with it." miss Layla said as she rearranged all the completed tests and her notes "For now I will just give you some homework to check how well you do on your own. Don't worry it is not a lot, just a few pages in this exercise book, a short text assignment and this worksheet. There is no rush, though I would love to see it by our next session in a few days."

With that the sleepy tutor was gone and honestly the boy felt at ease unlike at his previous tutoring sessions. In most of them he could barely focus or had trouble figuring out what tutors wanted to hear since many times whatever he did it backfired in some way or another. Miss Layla spoke only a few times to give him instructions, didn't watch him like a hawk and didn't really ask him more than needed. She was certainly less talkative compared to Tighnari though her words also carried more sincerity.

…

"What do you think?" miss Kusanali asked him once they started to prepare dinner?

"It's not bad." he replied in his usual manner "It's just… does she get enough sleep?"

"Sometimes she does overwork herself, but she also makes sure to rest up. She puts most of her energy in studying and teaching which can be pretty exhausting."

He didn't say anything afterwards, just silently chopping the rest of herbs for Sabz Meat Stew. They ate in silence, not commenting on anything that happened that day and even the usual chill evening pastime he just nestled up in his sleeping spot with a textbook he was supposed to read until it was his bedtime.

Though just before the boy wrapped himself up in his blanket, after taking the sleeping pill, she could hear a quiet sentence.

"Don't stay up for too long."

…

"Don't you want to attend at least a few lectures? I'm sure one of the Darshans will have something you'd be interested in."

"I know enough and I'm not interested in being even more of a prisoner than I already am. Just look at that girl from Rtawahist, she is practically dying from the number of seminar papers she has to write!"

The Dendro Archon sighed as she observed the number of students entering Akademiya for morning lectures. She was well aware that her little spy would often sneak to libraries and bookstores to read as well as keeping a number of notebooks in his room for keeping a track of his missions and observations.

"What if I'd given you a task to research something?"

"That's different." he crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall "It's my duty to follow your orders as I am indebted to you Lesser Lord Kusanali."

"Still, your essays were pretty well written. I would love to read more!"

"Where did you get- nevermind, doesn't matter." he tsked as he used his anemo powers to fly away.

Soon he was just a small dark blue spot in the distance.

"You'll get there one day Balladeer, you just need time to accept others in your life, not just me."

…

Nahida was stirred out of her nap, the past memories yet again taking place instead of usual dreams. The stubborn shadow warrior who would once rather go to the bottom of Abyss than a lecture hall was now diligently sitting at the coffee table, going through all the homework Layla assigned to him.

After his first homeschooling session the boy did seem to have a bit more life in his eyes, even reading the rest of the textbook he was asked to read and asking her about it. While Sumeru had a rather complex history, he picked on it pretty fast and quickly went over major events with no issues. Same went for other subjects and despite already knowing how bright he was even when still at Aaru Group Home, Nahida kept growing suspicious of just how intelligent he was or rather…

… why he covered it up.

There was no doubt he was more mature than an average twelve year old child, yet whenever his scholarly knowledge was brought up he would clam up and didn't say more than needed. This became especially concerning when Layla texted her shortly after his second homeschooling session.

"The kid really wants you to know that he is average or can do bare minimum at everything."

Ah right, this seemed to be the so-called other Layla, the one who analyzes everything that is gathered by her actual self.

"How so?"

"He would very likely get a perfect score if he didn't fix most of his answers."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, he went back and fixed most of the answers that were actually correct and it is just at the right percentage for an average score. He probably did it when I wasn't looking, but I checked it up close and noticed pencil marks at right spots at multiple choice types of questions. Even written answers are practically the same word by word from the textbook, but written in a way to cover bare minimum. I can also tell he understands a lot more foreign languages than he shows, especially Snezhnayan."

"I see…"

"You said he didn't attend school apart from a few homeschooling lessons, right?"

"According to his paperwork he only attended a few homeschooling lessons at various foster families. It doesn't cover his time in Inazuma though, so I can't say for sure."

"Did he ever tell you why he didn't like studying?"

"Not really, just that he doesn't like it or that he knows enough."

"I see… well I hope those sessions last. He is pretty smart and it would be a shame not to develop it further."

Tighnari's response was not that different either. The boy would answer his questions, follow the instructions and sometimes ask the bare basics. Never starting conversation, always finishing up the debate before it could start and never talking more than needed.

Next time with Layla he also simply showed his homework and followed her instructions for any further activities. By then Nahida finally convinced him to do homework in his room, at least so Irmi wouldn't bother him which he didn't mind, but it was kinda obvious that a coffee table and a pillow weren't the best study spot. He even finally used the reading tablet, if only to listen to some audio books while napping on the bed now that he couldn't use the greenhouse. Even though it wasn't completely off limits, the boy still wouldn't bother asking to go there with his guardian, not even when asked to.

"Have you read any Sumerian folktales?" miss Layla brought him out of his thoughts as he was finishing some reading comprehension exercises.

"No." he replied with slight disdain "I prefer factual study material."

"Lots of folktales are deeply rooted in Sumerian history and culture. It wouldn't hurt to read some as well as folktales from other nations."

"They are just made up fairytales written in time when there was no understanding of scientific facts." he sighed as he handed the finished worksheets "They are a waste of time."

"Well, I will leave a copy of Teyvat's folktale collection with miss Kusanali if you ever have a change of mind. Some are quite interesting and play a role even in today's festivals and celebrations."

"Whatever."

Nahida peeked over the stack of papers she was going though, wondering why would the boy show such disdain towards something as simple as reading folktales. This was the first time he actually stated his opinion regarding his homeschooling since he mostly just listened.

"Alright, since we went through most of the sociological classes we will focus on natural sciences more. You already got more than enough biology and chemistry from your other tutor, so we will cover subjects like math."

He didn't say anything to that, but Nahida did pick on his trembling as he went through a few worksheets. By the end of the session he was given a thick workbook that covered the chapters all the way to high school level and was told to work on about ten pages over the week just so she could check how much he can do above his age group.

Overall, Layla was pleasantly surprised with the firm yet quiet nature of the boy, almost reminding her of ever so stoic Alhaitham who also tended to act the same. He never did more than necessary unless it was important of course, sometimes not even sleeping for days if there was a case of a neglected child to be solved. The boy just seemed to keep it to himself and refused to show any vulnerability.

Truth to be told, she was reluctant to take on the job at first since she wasn't sure how to deal with another kid from Dottorre's Group Home. Even with Twirly Whirly as emotional support, her previous student had a hard time focusing due to massive anxiety and fear of messing up since she could barely even read. In the end a different tutor took over with much better success though despite the girl becoming literate enough to attend school, Layla still saw it as a massive failure from her side.

She expected another terrified kid with little to no basic knowledge, but what she got was a mature kid with seemingly no need for education in the first place instead. After the second session she was rather curious why Nahida insisted on continuing with the basic 6th grade curriculum judging from how much he actually knew.

"I don't doubt your judgment when it comes to teaching, but this is essentially the same as not giving special needs children suitable adjustments. The kid is above average no matter how much he is trying to cover it up."

"That might be true, but haven't you asked yourself why?"

"I did and I got nothing." other Layla assuredly typed on her cellphone "The best I got is that he is just not interested in studying and does it only because you told him to do so. That's massive external motivation and practically non existent inner one."

"I know there is something more to it so please just keep it up for a couple more sessions. I have an idea of what is going on, but I have to make sure."

Layla wanted to comment on it, but before she knew it, her other self was waking up.

…

The boy was going through the last few pages of his most recent homework, mostly regarding 6th grade math. He would be honestly done much sooner if he didn't bother to make sure there were at least a few mistakes and clumsily drawn graphs when it came to geometry. It wasn't clear just how convincing it was, but it had to be done for a while.

His right foot would nervously rub against his left one that wouldn't stop twitching. He could cover it up when sitting cross legged at the coffee table, but he couldn't hide it when on a chair and Miss Kusanali discouraged him from doing the homework laying down on the bed.

Well, at least she couldn't see him when he was in his room.

As a matter of fact she wasn't even at the house at the moment. Apparently there was something work related that she couldn't solve over the phone, so mister Tighnari was currently here instead. Even though he felt more at ease after several tutoring sessions with the quirky botanist he still felt rather tense the second miss Kusanali left. Mumbling something about having to do his homework he swiftly headed for his room, not planning to come out until she was back. Mister Tighnari did offer to help him out with homework in case there were unclear instructions or similar issues, but the boy only grumbled that he wanted to do it in his own space where he can think better without distractions. Although reluctantly, the man let him go to his room though also promising to make him some tea once he was done.

All the assigned exercises have been long finished so he just scrolled through the workbook out of boredom, rather annoyed by the colorful characters every few pages with sweet words of "you can do it!" "you're almost done!" "wow, you're doing great!".

If anything, these made him feel even more demotivated and if it weren't for Miss Kusanali, he wouldn't do any of them out of sheer spite. What even was the point of doing the exercises over and over besides getting a nod of approval from his tutor?

Right… it was for his supposed future.

You go to school, your knowledge gets tested, you get a mark, then you go to an even harder school like Akademiya, you graduate and get a job.

What job though?

All of his "my future" sheets were blank as he never thought he would make it this far.

Or more likely… whenever he had a shred of hope he'd make it further, something pushed him back in that room…

One exercise after another…

One equation harder than the previous one…

One sentence in a foreign language longer than the previous one to memorize…

Another task with even less time…

Another bright screen with even harder question…

…

…

…

One shock after another.

…

His foot continued to rub against his left ankle as he found himself picking up the pencil, flipping the pages back to the start of the workbook.

…

"This time no mistakes."

"Remember this well otherwise there will be minus points."

"You should've done that in half the time you had."

"Seems like you need more… motivation."

…

Another shock.

…

By now his left sock was gone and he was rubbing his foot against the raw skin of the other foot.

All answers were fixed, but that couldn't be all.

There surely must've been more to do.

There was always more, it never ended.

…

"I'm sure you can do better as long as you try."

"I got all of these just for you!"

"You have the smarts, it would be a shame not to use it."

"What do you mean you won't do it?!"

…

Red light. White room. Dripping liquid. Neverending exercises. Crowd of unknown faces. The lens of cameras.

The seizing of his muscles.

One page after another.

…

"You deserved your reward."

"Shut up..."

"You're smarter than them… all of them."

"Shut up!"

"They are not worth your time."

"SHUT UP, YOU BRAZEN-FACED-!"

*snap*

The boy was gasping for air like he hadn't had any for the last few minutes.

Was it really minutes? Not that he felt like it…

… right… he broke the pencil.

The pieces of splints were all over the workbook as well as on the floor where the upper part of the broken pencil probably was. It got to a particularly annoying part, halfway stuck under one of the desk's legs.

Yet another thing he managed to ruin since he got here. Miss Kusanali kept assuring him it was alright no matter how much he tried to compensate for it in one way or another. Who knew if she was honest or not about it.

He was inches away from picking up the broken pencil end when suddenly the already dark corner under the desk just became darker…

Dark, practically black wood, purple shoji blinds, golden decorations, fading tatami mats…

Tall blurry figure towering above him.

Lilac, almost transparent veil obscuring his vision as the figure leaned down, reaching for his chest.

He was scared, not sure what was going on and just wanted to run away.

Yet a part of him was yearning for that touch, for that pale hand holding onto a small object.

It terrified him, but he wanted it.

Something was being given to him.

He was no longer all alone in that small room.

As that object was getting closer and closer to his chest, he felt warm, like he was being cherished by that act of being given something important.

He closed his eyes, welcoming the small gift.

But as the lighting struck in the distance his scream drowned down the sound of thunder.

The pain was unbearable, like thousands of needles stabbing through every inch of his body while his skin felt like it was on fire and freezing at the same time.

But that was nothing compared to what he felt.

Numerous pictures running through his mind, mere specs of colors due to speed. The flashes of red and purple, the black covering everything in its path.

The screaming voices of many, becoming louder by every minute.

He felt his body hitting the floor, his arms going limp as thousands of shocks went through his body, unable to cover his ears from the screams.

Then something penetrated his chest, digging deeper and deeper.

He begged it to stop as it only added to the excruciating pain. The very same hand that he welcomed was now adding to his agony, just stabbing more and more.

But then it was suddenly over.

Pain was gone, just like the shiny object that was again resting in those hands.

His body was completely imobile, not even being able to twitch after so many shocks.

All he could do was cry.

And cry he did.

The tears ran down his cheeks as the look of betrayal formed in his eyes. He wanted to at least look at the person who caused him such torment.

But he couldn't even lift his head.

He could only hear a cold, firm voice.

"The puppet that cries is too fragile to carry the Gnosis."

…

"Come on, stop it!"

What was he doing?

"Calm down!" the same voice called again "You're not in danger!"

No, no, no he was in danger. Someone just attacked him, like so many other times before!

"It's alright."

That small yet kind voice. Like a little bird.

"You are safe."

Whose voice was it again?

"I'm here, you are here."

Right… he knew it.

"You are not alone."

"Miss… Kus..a..na..li…" he uttered as his vision was slowly clearing up.

It was very blurry, just like whenever he cried. The fat tears were running down his face as he broke into sobs, still feeling the shocks all over him.

But were they really there? He didn't know for sure.

All he knew was that he was on his knees, his wrists slowly slipping down to his sides as they were let go of by Mister Tighnari. Miss Kusanali was there as well, since he knew this green flower pattern dress well, but he refused to look up.

Refused or couldn't do it?

He again didn't know.

His guardian's voice was echoing just like that time he hit his head and she likely tried to ask him what's wrong.

Hell if he knew…

If he told her would she believe him?

So many caretakers assured him he could tell them anything that was on his mind or write it down in those stupid journals.

And those few times he was actually honest…

No… he didn't want to be written off as some mentally challenged kid whose imagination took over and being prescribed medication if not scheduled for another locked white room.

It was far better to just be known as an aggressive kid who hated studying. Instead of long hours with doctors poking in his mind to calculate how sane he is, he much preferred a loud scolding, being grounded, a timeout…

… even physical punishment.

The bruises and cuts healed after all.

Mind did not.

As his vision adjusted he gradually saw the extent of the mess he created. The thick math workbook was anything but that now, most of its pages torn out and lying on the ground along with most of other stationary supplies. The torn pages were everywhere in the room as well as by the window shelf, halfway stuck by the frame as well as…

… darn he broke the window.

Well not entirely but there was a very visible crack with a smaller opening and the force was strong enough to make it go from ajar to wide open. The strong acidic smell coming from underneath the desk made it clear that he lost his lunch again, likely the disaster that started it all.

He felt miserable and exhausted, not really caring what will happen from now on. In a way it would be a sigh of relief as he was anxious about just how long his current guardian would put up with him. Maybe she'll politely wait until the end of the trial period, maybe this will accelerate it… or keep it going until she loses it herself.

Like so many other nice ones before… or at least the ones that acted nice.

That was fine with him and Miss Kusanali at least felt more like she actually cared. At times he even thought he could speak his mind with her, but he always held himself back and let things be.

What he did not expect was his guardian wiping his face clear of tears and vomit, then checking his bleeding elbow that was already being tended to by Mister Tighnari. There were more words but they no longer sounded like questions.

He didn't know what he was hearing other than a gentle voice, a far cry from the yelling he was so used to. His head hurt more than when he actually hit it, but it felt a lot deeper, like a long needle was sinking in his forehead. Who knew, maybe he did in fact hit his head if he managed to hit the window. Even though his vision was clearing up, it was getting cloudy again and the exhaustion was getting the best of him.

He has been there before and no matter how many times it happened…

… he was still scared of what would happen when he woke up.

But just before his thoughts drifted further away, he could finally sort out his guardian's voice.

"I'm so sorry."

What for? Was what he would probably ask back.

Why would the guardian be sorry for something he did? Why would she care so much after weeks of being cold and distant to her? Other than pure determination to finish the task of rehabilitating a lost cause of a kid didn't make sense. Was she truly that patient or just wanted to prove a point?

The extra questions didn't do him any favors as he was zoning out more, only really acknowledging his shirt being taken off and being replaced by a fresh one after a wipe up with a damp towel to clean up any remaining stains. He felt Tighnari's arms gently lifting him up, leading him back to the living room, to his spot on a couch. The second he was on a firm but soft pillowy surface any other strength that kept him awake was quickly fading away. There was miss Kusanali covering him up with multiple blankets in a way he always wrapped himself up before going to sleep, even arranging the pillows in that wall-like structure he liked.

Just why was she going so out of her way to be this nice to him?

His guardian gently removed his hair clips so they wouldn't bother him during his rest and kept asking him if he needed anything and if he was alright.

He managed to utter that he just wanted to sleep to which she nodded and let him know she would be around if he needed her.

But just before he finally drifted off, his mind could still recall that white room in the distance…

Part of him knew it wasn't there, yet a tiny scared child deep within him could not unsee it.

"...please… no… more…"

…

"I think these are all." Tighnari handed a stack of papers neatly arranged in a binder "Cyno is still looking around the garden if there are any left, but I think we got most of them."

"Thank you for your help and I apologize for the trouble." Nahida bowed her head as she took the papers "I hoped it wouldn't be as bad."

"I know you've dealt with similar cases before, but this-" the man glanced at the still sleeping kid on the couch "Is very concerning. Whatever that creep did to those kids must've been a lot worse than what Cyno told me."

"Even if he is the head of Matra he is not legally allowed to discuss cases under investigation. And besides… those poor kids were either so traumatized they pushed it out of their memory or would simply freeze at the mere mention of that place. Investigators can only rely on evidence they are still collecting."

"Still… even Cyno wasn't expecting to be coming home to a kid throwing workbook pages through a window after breaking it while screaming bloody murder. It's a miracle the almighty General Mahamatra didn't charge in your apartment at that very moment."

"By now I think he learned that a sudden appearance of an authority figure scares children that are in the middle of a panic attack." Nahida sighed as she tried to put the torn workbook pages in some sort of order "I do thank you for tutoring him, I think he actually really likes your lessons… well more than Layla's."

"Speaking of which… just how much math homework did Layla give him?" Tighnari pointed at a random torn page "Half of a workbook covering the chapters from 6th grade to the high school level?"

"No… but it does confirm my suspicions."

"That he indeed dislikes studying? So much so that he completed half of that monster of a math workbook?" the man said in a sarcastic manner "Or whatever you found out on a trip not to your workplace?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"I know for sure Alhaitham can manage the adoption agency as long as Kaveh is on a different project. Where exactly would you go if not there?"

"Well…"

…

The little house at the other side of Sumeru City, right by the Bimarstan hospital was coming into view as Nahida made a turn towards it. The driveway was pretty small, barely big enough for her car let alone a van already parked there. Luckily just as she was told there was some more space in the back and once it was parked, the young woman took out a smaller folder along with a note with an address just to make sure it was correct.

She found the entrance fast and just before she could press the bell button, voice was heard.

"You may come in, the doors are unlocked!" a voice called from the apartment and Nahida walked in, following the voice.

She found her way to what looked like a merge of living room and dining room with lots of wide space as well as many lower wall shelves filled with potted plants. There were two women, one sitting at the table and the other putting things in her bag.

"I'll be back in a couple of days at the usual time, don't forget about your medication." the second woman said as she headed towards the hallway to put on her shoes.

"Have a safe trip!" the woman at the table called, as Nahida entered the room "Nice to meet you Miss Kusanali, would you like some tea? I've just made some."

"Thank you for welcoming me to your home and yes, the tea would be nice." she responded in a mixture of both her usual and formal voice "Miss… Golshan Hakim?"

"That would be my name, yes." the woman by the name Golshan responded while pouring a cup of tea for her guest "Your secretary contacted me, saying you wished to have a meeting with me. He didn't specify the reason though, so what can I help you with?"

"I've already talked to the agency, but I want to clear it up in person as well." Nahida opened her folder with several papers with a hospital's logo on it "You were working as a nurse at Bimarstan hospital at the time a child named Kunikuzushi Igarashi was taken in?"

The woman seemed to be a bit taken back by that question, but she nodded regardless.

"That is correct" she sighed as she looked over the hospital data as well as photos "I was also there when he was brought in. It's hard to forget the face of such a young boy being hooked to the oxygen for weeks not knowing if he'll wake up or not."

"His medical file didn't say much other than that he had to be in a medically induced coma due to smoke inhalation and had some other injuries." Nahida slightly pushed the papers away "But I can tell that wasn't all."

Golshan looked down, her hands clenched in fists as she was trying to keep herself together.

"The last couple of days of that coma he was actually awake, he just didn't want to wake up.'' she glanced at the medical information regarding that day "There were detectives, social workers and doctors with various questions, but he couldn't or wouldn't remember anything. For several days later he just stared out of the window like he was disappointed or even mad at himself that he woke up. I could tell."

"How so?"

"It was like… he was lost at where he was at in life. I mean he just got out of a very abusive situation he barely remembered and when he asked about his previous foster family he got told it perished in a work related accident. He stopped eating at that point and I had to constantly hook him up to an IV and NG tube to get at least something into him. Social services were debating where to put him once he was stable enough and I'm pretty sure that was the reason why he didn't want to recover."

"Is that why you took him in as a foster parent?"

"That's probably why you are here, isn't it?" Golshan smiled nervously to which Nahida nodded "Yes… it is already my personal belief that the weakest patients should be given the most attention. To see less and less doctors giving him the bare minimum of attention was breaking my heart, especially when they brushed off his very noticeable eating disorder as seeking attention even though it was clear it was anything but that. It wasn't his fault that he was the way he was and I wanted to let him know he was not alone in this."

Golshan needed some time to collect herself, taking some sips of tea before she continued.

"How is he doing?" she caressed another photo of the boy that seemed to be taken sometime after he was out of the hospital "I can only assume you're either fostering him or you're supervising whoever is currently fostering him."

"He is in my care yes and to be honest, I'm not that sure myself of how he is doing. He has been through quite a number of foster families and group homes until I took him in." Nahida sighed while keeping her hands on the tea cup "He most definitely has trust issues and is afraid of letting people in, especially when it comes to his well being. No matter what I do I can't make him feel any better than he currently is since he made it clear that he doesn't want any pity."

"So Kuni didn't change much." Golshan smiled for a brief moment "It was the same when I asked him if he wanted to be fostered by me. By then he got to know me a bit better and while he was quiet most of the time, he gradually became curious why I was going out of my way to talk to him. Soon I got him to talk and even managed to get him to the hospital's park since he missed being outside. It took some work, but I did manage to qualify as a foster parent before social services assigned him to someone else. Dr. Zakariya was nice enough to write a very convincing recommendation letter that allowed me to take him home."

"There were some issues at first since he was still in recovery and seemed to be rather attached to me. He would often stop whatever he was doing to look at me, like making sure I was still there. Even his sleeping patterns adapted to my shifts, so he could always be up whenever I was home. Another time I got hold up at work and when I came home he looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack. I made sure to get him a cell phone afterwards to keep him updated which seemed to improve his dependency on me."

"Though at times I also wasn't sure how to help him. It was no brainer that despite not remembering much, the experiences at that place haunted him no matter how many times he assured me he was alright and didn't need me to baby him. He was still waking up in tears during the nights before he started taking sleeping pills, would start mumbling odd incoherent sentences or just seem to freeze all of a sudden. I took him to a therapist I knew well, but every session he just refused to say anything."

Nahida carefully listened, analyzing each word in hopes it may help her understand the child under her care. It was hard not to think about Wanderer when so many traits were so familiar yet so different at the same time. The same child caught in the same chain of unfortunate events…

"I already know why you're no longer his foster parent, but I would still like to hear it in person from you." Nahida did her best to sound gentle yet still firm since she needed to know as much as she could "I understand if you don't feel comfortable talking about it and will not push you to go into all the details… I'm just trying to learn more about him."

Golshan swallowed hard, her hands trembling at Nahida's question.

"If I wasn't comfortable or knowing you'd be asking me about this, then I wouldn't invite a social worker to my house." the woman reached for a small bracelet around her wrist "I loved that child, I really did, but I was also fresh out of Akademiya barely earning enough to be considered well off for a foster parent when it was really more of a paycheck to paycheck situation. Not that I couldn't cover extra expenses for Kuni, but I really wanted to find him a better help or at least take him on a nice trip once in a while since he loved seeing new places so much. That's when I started looking into extra work at another hospital, all the way to Caravan Ribat where I was hired almost immediately since they were very short staffed. I even got a ride from a co-worker who lived nearby and had similar shifts, and for a while it was going really well. I got to take Kuni to Vananara and Ashavan Realm, two of the natural parks he kept reading about. He barely ever talked, but the moment we got there he couldn't stop pointing out at the new things he saw or simply enjoyed the walks around them. Just to see him being so at peace on those trips made it all worth it."

No wonder why he likes the greenhouse room and walks with Irmi so much, Nahida smiled at that thought.

"But if only I didn't take that nightshift…" Golshan took a deep breath "There was a landslide at Caravan Ribat which put a lot of workers from a nearby quarry into hospital. Nurses were in high demand and I just couldn't ignore it. I promised Kuni I'll take more days off afterwards to make up for the lost time since he was more concerned about how much I was working…"

Golshan's hands kept caressing a little bracelet around her wrist and by now Nahida could tell it was handmade.

"I got held up there for several more days than expected and always kept Kuni notified so he wouldn't worry. He understood and let me know in return that he was doing alright as well, even better than usual… then came the last day." the woman took a deep breath "My co-worker took me home like usual… but it was also the monsoon season and none of the forecasts could tell it would be this bad…"

Nahida placed her hands on Golshan's trembling ones, trying to calm down her distress.

"It's alright, you don't need to get further-"

"It all happened so fast… before I knew it, there were lights of another car, a crash and… me waking up in a hospital three months later…" Golshan stubbornly continued "Of course I immediately asked about Kuni… but by that point it was clear social services wouldn't let me have him back."

Golshan leaned back to her chair letting out a big breath she didn't know she was holding while doing her best not to break into tears.

And as she did, the chair slightly moved.

It was a wheelchair, afterall.

"I tried contacting anyone I could, but during these three months he has been to at least four foster families and group homes. I got some information from the first group home that they sadly couldn't keep him for long due to overcrowding, but the second foster parent refused to tell me anything and referred to the right to uphold the private information about a minor… same with the social services who took him under their custody a day after the accident… And even if I could find him again… I doubt I would be seen as a good fit for a foster parent. I barely passed the criteria the first time… and now with me being paralyzed from the waist down, only capable of working part-time as a receptionist at a hospital and needing regular physical therapy and medical care myself…" Golshan couldn't talk anymore and burst out crying.

Nahida sadly saw this situation a lot, a loving foster parent who truly cared about the wellbeing of the child yet not being considered good enough. She personally didn't see an issue with Golshan being disabled, but she could also see all the loopholes social services could use to prevent fostering or approving someone who definitely didn't have the right skills.

"I hoped to find more information later as I was asking my colleagues about him, since foster families are required to register the new kids at the nearest clinic." Golshan continued after wiping her tears and taking a few deep breaths "He was probably moved somewhere far away since none of them saw a boy with his description… not until a friend of my colleague confirmed he was at psychic ward for attempting to commit the unthinkable. I… I was at a loss of words and again tried to get to him, if only to talk to him. Unfortunately the facility had strict rules about letting anyone in, let alone giving away information. All I got was that he was released at one point and all trails were lost again. I was just glad that he was still alive though at the same time I felt like I failed at providing him home like I promised."

"I don't know what he was told by social services or other foster parents… but I just want him to get better." the woman sighed as she kept staring at the bracelet "He is a good kid… just in need of guidance and stability."

"Do you wish to see him again?" Nahida asked, which made the woman raise her eyebrows.

"I don't know if he wants to see me again… I promised to keep him safe so many times when he was still so attached to me… and I broke that promise." she sunken down again "I don't even know what happened to him once he was taken away…"

"He might be angry, but not at you. Probably more at himself or fate itself for leading him where he currently is." Nahida sighed as she took more files out "He's been through a lot of guardians until he was assigned to me and even I couldn't tell where he was at once I met him. He is indeed a nice kid, he just isn't used to a sense of normalcy yet and therefore is still keeping his feelings to himself in order to hide any vulnerability. I had kids like him before and the only thing I can say is that he needs time. I just hoped I could learn more about him through you in order to help him recover better."

"He is in the right hands then." Golshan smiled "There were moments when he was a lot more relaxed and even asked for things a normal kid would, like staying with him until he fell asleep or making him that one dish he liked."

"Oh, what was it?"

"It is a sort of bitter tea broth with rice, sometimes topped with eel. I had a colleague from Inazuma who taught me a few recipes after I mentioned he had trouble eating. I hoped a dish from his homeland might help and I was beyond surprised how much he loved it." Golshan moved her motor wheelchair towards the kitchen, reaching for a small stack of notes "Here, I still have it written down. Let me know if it gives you trouble."

"Will do." Nahida accepted a recipe "Say… you mentioned he read a lot, but did he like studying?"

"Studying? Oh, he loved to study, even reading my medical books from the time I studied at Amurta. Every day he'd read a big bunch of them and showed me many notes about them the second I got home from work. He was very bright, though when I asked him about signing him up for school he didn't seem as excited. Not like your average kid who doesn't want to go to school… more like all that curiosity just faded away. I asked him about it but he got rather irritated and shut himself in the room for the rest of the day. It was one of the only times he threw a tantrum though at the same time I'm not sure if it really was one since he became really quiet for the next few days until I stopped mentioning school."

"I see… he likes to learn but doesn't want to be tested..." Nahida mumbled more to herself.

"Is he still reading?"

"He does and he even agreed on taking some homeschooling lessons. So far I think it has been going well, but I'm also worried about the suspicion I've had for a while."

"A suspicion?"

"About what happened to him at Dottore's Group Home."

…

"Researching learning skills of highly intelligent kids?" Tighnari raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, I had Alhaitham dig into Dottorre's past, all the way to his student days in Akademiya and back in Snezhnaya. He wrote lots of research papers, but none of them got much recognition due to too much theory and not enough facts. They were mostly centered around the psychology of learning as well as development of intelligence."

"Wait… do you mean to tell me he experimented on kids?"

"Why else would he keep them so far away and have several fake group homes as distractions? Most common factors when it comes to abuse at foster homes are financial gain, sense of power or blatant inexperience. According to Alhaitham, none of these exactly applied to this case since it was far too calculated."

"Geez… did you share that with Cyno at least?"

"I did and he said he'll forward it to the investigation team. They did have some suspicions about it and this gave them some more pointers. Though at the same time it is hard to investigate since most of the building along with all possible written research on papers and hard drives got burnt down." Nahida sighed as she eyed the ruined math workbook "I'll need to phone Layla to postpone his homeschooling lessons for a while…"

Tighnari seemed like he wanted to say something, but kept it to himself as they both carried all the new files to Nahida's office. There were many opened files, both on her computer and the desk, very likely a result of many long nights of research. The man wasn't that surprised to see the dedication since that was one of few things he had in common with her. When there was a question, a long and detailed research followed until the answer was found.

Still curious about the visit to the former foster parent, the two of them talked about it a bit more afterwards. Nahida agreed to keep Golsham notified about Kunikuzushi as well as offer her a temporary job at the youth center that involved more direct work with children about which she said will think about. Golshan also handed her the notebook that held all the information she could gather when looking for the boy. Nahida had access to most of the information regarding all of his past guardians, but lots of them were also very devoid of other than general reports. Any other conversation about possible reunion was mostly left depending on his condition, especially now that the things got this severe.

Speaking about the boy, he was still sleeping hours later.

Nahida kept an eye on him at all times or had Tighnari watch over him if she had to take care of something. The broken window was duct taped and covered up until the glass would be replaced and the rest of the mess has been cleaned up relatively quickly. The kid did cut his elbow and threw up, but other than that he didn't seem to be injured more.

Well physically at least.

If Nahida was right, then the homeschooling might've unintentionally triggered a severe panic attack despite the very careful planning and Tighnari reacting fast since his sensitive hearing immediately picked on the sound of the pencil breaking. At first he thought it was just an accident though he got to his room just in case, paying attention to any other sounds since it could've been a sign of aggression. He knocked three times waiting for approval to come in, but instead of that he heard retching noises that were soon replaced by screaming and the sound of things breaking. Nahida told him about the boy's three rules, but if that didn't sound like an emergency, he didn't know what did. Fortunately Nahida arrived home soon after he got a hold of him to calm him down after wrecking most of the study area in the room.

Whatever he has gone through must've happened when he was all alone with test questions in a single room. There were cases of foster kids being pressured to study more since Sumeru had one of the best schools in Teyvat, Akademiya, some even to the point of being abused. But with Dottore she wasn't sure what to think.

If this Dottore was the same, she could only assume it was for the sake of his twisted version of morbid curiosity.

However, this was not the kind of explanation she could use in court.

For now she should just let Matra investigate it and dig up the truth while her ward rests up.

…

It was close to midnight when he finally woke up.

Nahida noticed the stirring of the blankets in the middle of typing on her laptop. The boy slowly got up, his eyes still blank and unfocused until the guardian got to him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, slowly placing a hand to his forehead "You are a bit warm, do you feel feverish?"

The boy gave a slight nod, but just nudged towards the bathroom. He walked slowly, probably following the glowing signs for directions of the rooms and just mouthed he wanted to wash up a bit. Nahida nodded and handed him a change of clothes that she set for him beforehand.

By the time he was back, there was a bowl of porridge and some rice crackers set on the coffee table as well as his cup of tea waiting for him. He mumbled something about not being hungry as he just took a few sips of tea and went back to his spot, ignoring the rest including a sleeping pill.

That night Nahida didn't sleep.

How could she when the child continued to cry or tossed and turned unless she held his hand, whispering "you are not alone". Whatever he was seeing during that outrage must've been serious enough to not even let him sleep in peace. She could see his left ankle twitching or his arms grabbing onto his chest, quietly sobbing each time like he was begging for whoever was causing this pain to stop. This continued until the boy seemed to fall into exhausted sleep.

Once the morning came, Nahida went on with the day as usual.

She made breakfast and fed the bunny, but left her ward's portion in the fridge.

She did house chores and gently woke him up. The boy again mumbled about not being hungry, taking only a few bites of peaches and drank the tea.

Then he went to sleep again.

Nahida continued with work.

He was still sleeping.

She changed the bandage on his elbow and took his temperature with a non-contact thermometer. No fever, but he was still pretty pale and didn't eat much in the afternoon either.

He didn't wake up anymore that day so again he didn't take that sleeping pill.

Nahida still stayed up the whole night.

This night the nightmares didn't appear to be as bad, but he still unconsciously snuggled closer to where she was sitting on the couch.

The next day, when Tighnari dropped in, bringing groceries and mushrooms from his garden, he knew this can't go on.

"Please, go catch up on your sleep, I'll watch over him. Amir can handle my duties for today and I'm sure your work can wait too. Don't worry, if anything happens, I will contact you right away." the man sighed while pointing his eyes directly at her tousled hair and very noticeable eyebags on her face "You could also use a hot shower."

If it was the first time, Nahida might've complained, but considering her past experiences with multiple sleepless nights in a row plus her own ward reminding her to have enough sleep, she couldn't refuse the kind neighbor's help. Picking those few essentials and forwarding him a small note of the boy's current condition, she headed for her bedroom. There was a quiet rustle of a shower so she must've taken Tighnari's advice.

The kid didn't really move for at least a couple more hours, mostly due to being in that exhausted, deep sleep. Nahida left some porridge in the fridge in case he'd wake up for breakfast, but by the time he did it was almost lunchtime. Tighnari put down his project notebook to check the boy's condition. Despite the many blankets his skin didn't feel that warm to the touch and his face wasn't any less pale than before while his eyes weren't as focused.

Even once he helped him up to drink some water and set the pillows so he could be in a more sitting position, the kid showed little to no energy besides barely keeping his eyes open.

"Let's change your bandage, alright?" Tighnari said as he reached for the box with a first aid kit for a wound patch "It should be slightly better by now."

The boy didn't say anything and just let the man take care of the injury. It could've been worse if he didn't wear a hoodie when hitting the window since the fabric was thick enough to shield him from any pieces of broken glass, but the impact was still powerful enough to break his skin. Considering how little meat he had around arm joint it was no surprise the skin got broken so easily, in fact should impact be more powerful the wound could potentially even get to his bone.

Still the kid remained unfazed, not even flinching when disinfect was applied. The boy surely had high pain resistance, Tighnari thought, but at the same time he struggled not to recall the oddly similar memory of patching up a child just like him.

"You're sending me back aren't you." the boy said all of a sudden.

"What makes you think that?" the man almost got startled at the question.

"I don't know maybe the fact that I'm nothing but trouble with destructive tendencies or how else you put it in the file." he leaned back in the pillow with a big sigh "I know how these things work, you don't need to dance around it."

"It's not like that-"

"I broke a freaking window, of course it is like that." the boy narrowed his eyes but also turned his back to him "She is probably filling in the papers at the moment, that's why she is not here, isn't she?"

The question didn't really sound like one, more like something one would say when knowing what was going on and just wanting a confirmation.

"So you have this little faith in Nahida?"

"Miss Kusanali has been very patient with me… but I doubt she'll keep me after this." the boy said with an increasingly more quiet voice.

"I can assure you this-"

"It's over when you assault your guardian!"

Tighnari really wanted to say something against it, but he also knew how the system worked. Before Nahida headed for her bedroom he had seen a very obvious bruise across her right cheek. She didn't deny it, nor was it needed, he was there when it happened.

While she was trying to calm down the panicking kid as Tighnari was still having trouble properly restraining him, his elbow managed to hit Nahida in her face, but that didn't stop her from continuing to whisper in a gentle manner until he finally exhausted himself.

"Was that the reason you were assigned to a different guardian before?" Tighnari asked as the boy was still facing away.

"Yea… or they say I did." the boy's hands gripped the edges of the blanket more intensely.

"You don't remember?" the man asked to which the other nodded slightly "Was it similar to what happened here?"

"More or less…"

"I see." Tighnari gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder which he didn't refuse "It must've been really scary for you."

"You don't know anything."

"Well I would say I know at least something, not the same way as you, but I can try learning it to see it in a similar way as you. We all learn whole life anyway"

The boy was slightly surprised at his tutor using the same sentence he did during one of their homeschooling sessions. Overall he was just baffled at the entire situation. By now he would be already packing or being practically carried out of the home by social services while the foster parent would sign the papers. Then he would be either at a children's shelter or already at another foster home, going through the same thing over and over again like in an endless loop.

Just what was taking Miss Kusanali so long and why was Mister Tighnari still putting up with him even once they both witnessed just how destructive he was? They probably had trouble finding another person to take him in, that's why it was taking so long or maybe they are even sending him to a different nation so more paperwork had to be taken care of.

Or maybe even…

"We are not sending you anywhere kiddo." Tighnari continued to gently stroke his disheveled hair which made the boy gulp as he wasn't aware he was mumbling out loud "What happened happened. There is no reason for sending you away due to a bad reaction to a panic attack."

Panic attack…

No one but her described it like that. It was always aggression, impulsiveness, destructive tendencies, self harming, vandalism… anything to put a label on him like he was a dangerous dog that others would love to just put down rather than deal with.

But here… he destroyed so many things and hurt his guardian… and yet they were more worried about him than themselves.

Just why… why…

… why did his mind scream he could trust them-

No, he will get betrayed yet again the second he gives it a chance.

"Would you like some tea?"

Against his better judgment he nodded and the botanist left to go make some.

If it wasn't for Miss Kusanali's extremely patient nature so far then it was Mister Tighnari or even Miss Layla. All of them didn't react one bit on his tiniest outbursts and kept making sure he was alright, not in an overbearing way, just keeping in check if he was with them.

"Here you go, anything extra you want with it?" he asked to which the boy simply took the cup, making small sips.

Due to not eating much, the warm drink felt nice on his practically empty stomach though at the same time it unpleasantly reminded him of a certain time in the past…

"Hey, are you alright?"

The boy was confused at what the man meant when he felt tears slipping down his cheeks. He didn't know where that come from, it just started happening out of nowhere sometimes even if there was no particular cause…

… other than unknown flashes of memories he could not recognize.

Mister Tighnari didn't pry, just offered him a tissue with pretty handmade embroidery. He could easily give him regular disposable ones, yet he had given him something a lot more important for something as insignificant as wiping the tears and snot. In fact he insisted he keeps it since he will likely need it more than him.

There were times when he was teased and even bullied for crying out in the open like this so he learned to keep it inside and let it out when he was on his own. Yet neither Miss Kusanali nor Mister Tighnari mind it and again saw it as something normal.

So was it truly real that he was staying here?

In this house, with simple meals he wasn't judged on, with a kind bunny who somehow always knew when he needed a little comfort, with simple activities he actually enjoyed, with a beautiful greenhouse and…

… people who gave him time and space yet still helped when needed?

He didn't know what got to him, he just threw his arms around Mister Tighnari and cried on the other's shoulder.

The whole time the man was still, not one bit dazed at the sudden touch and wrapped his arms around him as well. The boy didn't know why he did it, he just knew he needed it.

The arms of someone else, someone who make him feel safe….

… someone who made him feel like being with him or her.

Neither of them knew how much time has passed as he refused to let go and as the silence became more awkward, Mister Tighnari just started talking about this new mushroom powder mixture he was working on to make tea better. Considering it wasn't the best since it made him more lightheaded and dizzy than awake, made the boy grin a bit, reminding him of another person who thought it would be a good idea to throw some Naku Weed in incense.

He didn't want to admit it, but he liked it, just being in the arms of someone who would ramble about the most random stuff.

"You're a good kid, you just don't know it." Tighnari said, which made the boy's eyes wide "You just have your own set of troubles, we are all going to help you with them."

"I don't know if you can…" he mumbled.

"You're not the first kid with such troubles that Nahida took in."

"And what happened to them once she stopped taking care of them?"

"They were either adopted, went to good boarding schools or taken in by another foster family."

"Were those good families though…?"

"She still checks on them and as far as i can tell, yes all the kids went to good families." Tighnari said as the boy was still snuggling to him "After all, I adopted one of the kids she fostered."

That came as a bit of surprise but he understood why. Mister Tighnari was as equally patient with him when it came to tutoring and parenting as Nahida and no doubt that whichever kid got to live with him was lucky. He really wondered what the other child had to go through before getting here.

"Where is Miss Kusanali?" the boy asked once he finally felt like letting go of his tutor.

"Oh, she is just resting up after looking after you for the past two nights." said Tighnari, which made the boy feel guilty about assuming the worst when she wasn't there "Let her nap for a few more hours. I can stay with you until then and help you with whatever you need."

There really wasn't much he needed apart from a shower which he gladly took his time with. The smell of mint body wash and padisarah shampoo felt more relaxing than ever even though he has been using them for a while. Maybe he just wasn't used to it yet since his showers tended to be short due to the usual big mirror in the bathroom… but not here where it was covered up.

By the time he returned back there was some cooked rice on the table waiting for him. Mister Tighnari said something about making it for himself for his mushroom dish but also making some extra if he wanted some. The boy had some, even trying some of the mushrooms that were slightly too seasoned for him, other than that not that bad.

With a meal done, the boy wasn't sure what he felt like doing since he would usually read or play games. In fact he felt like talking for the oddest reason.

Before he knew it, he started apologizing for not being honest with where he was at with his studies.

Turns out, one of his previous foster families where both parents were Akademiya scholars tested him out and found out he was above average intellectually. What followed were endless lessons by both of them, making sure every single minute he spent with them was educational in their own words as well as sending him to tests within their darshans. To him it was torture without a break, reminding him of the times he wanted to forget, but with the foster home before being an even worse hell, he put up with it.

Well, put up with it until he lost it and ended up with his very first assault on the guardian in his file.

"I didn't want to get through it again… If you find out I knew more…" the boy started to shake but was determined to continue "I didn't want to be a token gifted genius…"

"Eh, to be fair, I despise such parents as well. It defeats the purpose of learning, they usually just want their own walking Akasha terminal to show off." Tighnari said in a mixture of annoyance and grin "I much prefer curious souls who wish to explore the world, even if they end up licking everything they see."

That made the boy snort for a second, remembering the first tutoring session with a quirky botanist where he was complaining about the very same thing.

"How about you read some of these?" Tighnari said as he handed him the thick book that has been gathering dust on the coffee table for a while "I can assure you no one will quiz you on these."

Teyvat's Folktales: Complete Edition

He has been indeed eyeing it for a while and the fact that he didn't want to read them was a lie as well. There were bits and pieces of tales in the form of picture books and cartoons at several foster homes he's been to several times, though lots of them were either missing pages or were switched to something else on television. If he would be caught reading them, he was either too childish or could spend time reading something better and realistic.

They might have been childish and simple, yet they have this sense of familiarity with them, not to mention this version had beautiful illustrations and additional glossaries for unknown phrases. Just as soon as he opened it, his eyes were captivated by the breathtaking drawing of colorful dragons, each resting at one part of the map as the very first story began…

…

Nahida woke up to the gentle melody that was the alarm of her phone, indicating that she rested for a healthy amount of hours. As she was slipping in her daily clothes and tying up her hair, she really hoped her ward was better and that Tighnari managed to watch over him as she rested.

What she did not expect was seeing the boy completely absorbed in a book he had shown complete disinterest in before. Tighnari was at the table, texting someone on his phone as he gestured that he had a good talk with him and that the things calmed down a bit. Nahida was surely relieved to hear about that since when it came to such drastic situations, the kids were in a very sensitive position and you had to be especially careful not to lose trust.

"It is as you thought, just in the sense of studying. Kid was fostered by one of those Akademiya parents and didn't have the best experience with homeschooling and taking tests." Tighnari texted Nahida in order not to bother the boy when he was reading.

"Funny you mention that. I do recall one foster family with Akademiya scholars in his file, but they didn't mention any homeschooling or tests. Just that he was too behind his studies for any homeschooling and that he hit them out of nowhere." Nahida responded with a text as well.

"Sounds like someone needs a visit from social services." Tighnari grinned as he noticed her already gathering all files to build up a case "He said nothing about his time in Dottorre's Group Home."

"He very likely won't either, at least for a while. If it's as I feared he will need a lot more time to build up strength to speak out about it. That is if he even remembers it properly."

The two adults sighed in unison, knowing this was just a first step in the long way ahead of the poor kid's recovery. For now they just wanted to focus on the little bit of trust the boy was showing. Speaking of him, he did notice Nahida coming in, but avoided eye contact more than before, likely due to an accidental hit. She completely understood his uneasiness and just focused on digging out more information about his past neglectful guardians. If they were indeed lying on report who knows what else could've been hiding and likely endangering more kids under their custody.

It was already a late afternoon when Nahida woke up and by now it was getting darker, approaching dinnertime. Tighnari mumbled something about getting home and making some, when a doorbell rang.

Not expecting anyone by today, Nahida cautiously opened the door, though seeing who it was through a peephole she had no issues opening up.

"Collei? What brings you here?" the woman smiled at the sight of a green haired girl carrying a big paper bag.

"Hello Miss Kusanali!" the girl said in a slightly high-pitched voice like she was nervous "I made some Pita Pockets for Abi's lunch before he left for night shift, and I made a bit too much since I was making for all of us three,so there is extra and I thought you might want some!"

"That's so sweet of you, come on in!" Nahida welcomed as the girl quickly rushed to the table to put down the bag.

"I ran out of yogurt dressing since Abi likes extra, so not all of them have it." Collei fidgeted around the small packages.

"Typical of Cyno." Tighnari mumbled as he poured the mushroom dish leftovers in his Pita Pocket.

"Oh, would you like some too?" Collei asked once she noticed another person at the sofa.

Tighnari let her know early on that Nahida took in another child after the previous one got adopted and was curious about meeting them. She was aware it was a boy a couple of years younger than her from a troubling environment who needed time, so she didn't pry in it too much and rather focused on her studies that kept her especially busy now that semester was coming to an end. Luckily the boy's panic attack happened when she was at school though she likely suspected something was up when she saw Cyno going through the garden searching for something. Still, her making some homemade snacks or whole meals was often a case since she wanted to help with chores as much as she could and sometimes made extra. To deliver it to Nahida was practically automatic for her as well as trying to help strangers.

The boy was a bit startled at an unknown voice, but seeing it was another kid just like him calmed him down a bit.

And not just any kid.

Short green hair and bright purple, almost magenta eyes.

It was the same girl whose picture was on Miss Kusanali's spiral notebook.

The one she once fostered as well as the one who was in that man's group home.

He was speechless, not sure how to politely respond to the girl who just innocently offered him some food. It has been a while since he had that small pile of rice and some mushroom sauce, so it wasn't that hard to make a bite, at least to show he was grateful. What he did not expect was that whatever he bit into was a simple wrap with some lettuce, grilled meat and crunchy veggies, not overly seasoned like they usually were at group homes. It was a popular dish among kids since it was easy to customize, but seeing what everyone loaded them with made him sick just from seeing them.

"Sorry, there is no yogurt dressing or any seasoning in this one! But if you want I can go check if Miss Kusanali has any in her fridge-"

"It's alright…" the boy mumbled after taking a bite "I prefer it this way anyway."

"Really? That's a relief!" Collei smiled "Abi won't even touch it if it's not swimming in yogurt dressing! And dad always insists on extra mushrooms or at least fungi mix powder!"

"Hey, not always!" Tighnari grumbled like he was offended.

"And yet you're sprinkling it on your Pita Pocket as we speak!"

The casual bickering between them soon died down as they all wolfed down the wraps. By now the boy figured Collei was Tighnari's adoptive daughter and connecting it with all the talks he heard between him and Miss Kusanali, Cyno or Abi of how Collei called him, was the other parent. The girl complained about the mess Cyno did when looking for his matra uniform before heading to work and Tighnari announced he will be awake once he comes back home just to give him an earful so loud he will remember to keep the closet more organized. To that they all burst out laughing, even Miss Kusanali who said that the only thing he will ever keep organized is his TCG Genius Invokation collection.

They surely sounded like a nice lively family…

… so Mister Tighnari didn't lie when he said that the kids fostered by Miss Kusanali get adopted by nice families…

"Oh is this Wind, Courage, and Wings?" Collei asked, the boy not even noticing her coming back to him, staring at the opened book.

"Yea… I just read it…" he replied quietly at which her eyes absolutely gleamed with excitement.

"I love this one!" she exclaimed, but quieted down once realizing it was making the boy uncomfortable "Oh, I'm so sorry. I read all the tales, but this one I read many times and it makes me happy to see someone else reading it."

"It's fine…" he grumbled, but was also curious why this story in particular "Why?"

"Oh… I…" Collei sat down, her excitement noticeably dying down "I needed a while to learn how to read… so my tutor recommended reading something simple like folktales… but it was still very hard and I didn't even want to see books for a long time."

This felt all too familiar, the feeling of just seeing the tests, the questions or anything regarding examination of his knowledge, reminding him of his latest accident.

"But this one tutor really liked this story and constantly read it to me, so much that I knew it by heart and soon learned to read it on my own. After that everything became more simple and really helped me with reading and writing." Collei caressed the illustrations of birds right next to the sentences at the very end of the story.

"What you lacked was not wind, but courage. It is courage that has allowed you to become the first flying birds of this world"

As Collei cited these words, the boy was suddenly seeing flashes of unknown town. It wasn't Sumeru, Inazuma or any other nation he has been to. There were walls, houses and buildings with… sails? He didn't know what they were, but he was seeing them.

And Collei was with him.

The castle-like grand entrance as he crossed the bridge.

The statue of a winged person in the middle of town's square as well as the big church behind it.

An incredible view of the town and countryside outside the town's walls from the said statue's arms.

And… just flying with actual wings over the town…

Just like the birds who got the courage to spread their wings and take it to the sky.

"Oh is it this late already?!" Collei's voice brought him back out of weird unknown flashes "Quick, maybe we still have time."

"Time for what?" he asked as the girl grabbed onto his wrist, dragging him out of the living room without a reply.

He surely hoped it wasn't his room, who knows if it has been even cleaned yet and he rather not accidentally see the unpleasant memories again.

But that's not where the green haired girl was going.

No… it was towards the room he hasn't been to for a while.

The greenhouse room.

She quickly opened the doors to the balcony, excitedly pointing her hand towards a particular set of hills and trees.

"Look, look, we made it just in time!"

"For what?" he asked, following her gaze into the right direction.

"To watch the sun disappear!"

The sentence felt like it was spoken by three people at once.

He didn't know why, but watching the orange orb slowly sinking down, fading behind the hills, felt different than before.

He would watch the sun set down the Sumerian hills, pretending he was back at Inazuma seeing it sink into the ocean.

But this time he saw the town again, feeling the breeze of gentle wind, the freshness of water surrounding it and big sails slowly spinning in circles.

Collei was again with him, adoring different attire as well as he did, but he did not mind it.

All that mattered were beautiful colors of yellow and orange, filling the sky with warmth just before the darkness would arrive.

He learned long ago that fantasy he was seeing should remain fantasy no matter how real it felt to him. Afterall whenever he mentioned it, people treated it as part of his imagination, if not insanity.

Even if it was just fantasy, he wanted to enjoy it a bit longer before another memory would ruin it.

But this time, someone held his hand.

Person who was the same in the fantasy as she was in reality.

She did not disappear, even once the sun was long gone and stars began to appear.

His thoughts returned back to mere hours ago when he thought the cycle of being tossed to another foster parent who didn't care would repeat.

Instead of that he got an ensurement that he won't be going anywhere and Miss Kusanali will be fostering him until he is adopted or taken in by a truly kind family. Should that never happen he wouldn't mind staying with her. Afterall, he would quickly start missing the quirky botanist of a neighbor and enthusiastic companion.

His heart was still full of doubt, but maybe this time he could truly give it a try…

…

The whole time the two kids observed the sunset, the two adults observed them from the back.

Tighnari saw two innocent souls who quickly bonded over a simple fairy tale.

While Nahida could see something more even if it wasn't there.

After all… she once snapped a photo of Wanderer watching a sunset with a new friend who had needed help with studying and invited him to a trip to Mondstadt as a thank you…

---

I hope you enjoyed the new chapter and if some parts felt like an episode from Law and Order, well let's just say I've been watching it a lot in the past few months and it further encouraged me to keep the modern AU as real as possible, at least in terms of laws. I also put more focus on homeschooling and studying parts in general since I'm actually studying pedagogy and I have about four year experience working as a tutor for elementary and high school level.

I did several screenshots showing Scara and Collei in Mondstadt, you can check them out on my tumblt 3w-writer-with-wings.

Helping Paw Buddy that Layla is using to help students study with a help of a dog, was actually a real thing at the library where I worked a few years ago. Special needs children had reading hours with two dogs who kept them calm and interested in the story. And in case you don't know who Twirly Whirly is, you probably missed special fungi event where you meet Layla for the first time and she adopts anemo fungus that she names Twirly Whirly. What kind of a dog he would be, i do not know XD

Scara's origami angel with a heart is supposed to represent his constellation.

If you do dailies in Sumeru, you might've met Golshan before, she gives you a daily commission where you have to sweep the floors around hospital in Sumeru city. Hakim is a made up surname that can translate to healer or physician. If you talk to her she tells you how she thinks the weakest patients should have the most care and that inspired me to make her into Scara's first foster parent.

Originally, the scene where Tighnari comforts crying Scara was not supposed to happen, but it did and I have no regrets. I think Tighnari is an absolute sweetheart who deserves a lot more love than he gets in the game. I mean... he carried traveler to his house and saved them from the guards both off screen and he still wanted to help after being struck by a freaking lightning (tho kinda ironic I'm making him comfort someone who was responsible for hiting hin with a lightning in past life).

Abi or how Collei refers to Cyno can translate to "father" in Arabic. I needed another word for dad and I didn't want to use papa since certain shows completely ruined that word for me. It will be revealed in the next chapter, but just so you know, Collei is older than Scara in this story (Scara is 12, Collei is 15 and she is about to enter high school).