We drove for a little longer till we reached the end of the road Dragedge led us too. Hatori looked uncomfortable trying to sit up. I felt bad for him. We parked the car and started to walk. poor Victor, still looking on edge.
"Victor, are you ok?" Dragedge asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I will be fine," he responded.
I helped Hatori out of the car and Victor gave a round of healing magic.
"Kids call dad." I instructed, getting everything else together.
He nodded and made what looked like a magic circle.
"Hello Kid, how are you?" He cheerfully answers the phone.
"Dad, we have a problem or two." Kid started.
I gave Hatori a kiss and walked over.
"how's the mission going?" He asked, ignoring Kids comment.
"Dad, seriously. did you not not tell the other branch we were taking over the mission?" I chimed in.
"Oh… yes I guess I did forget to tell them you were taking control."
Kid and I face palmed.
"Soul you better be nice to my Maka you hear me…." Spirit started before I stepped up.
"Dad Hatori got injured in a fight with his brother because you didn't tell them." I added.
"Well you kids are there now so everything will work out." He responded in his usual happy voice.
I rubbed my temples sighing.
"Fine. We will keep you updated."
We turned back to the group.
"We should get moving." I suggested.
Everyone nodded and started walking towards the city. I noticed Hatori was starting to have trouble with his jaw and called Victor for some healing magic.
"Hey Hatori, why does your family hate you if you don't mind me asking?" Maka questioned, breaking the awkward silence.
Hatori chuckled a little.
"I am the black sheep of the family. My parents separated when I was young. I was and still am closer with my father and the only one who looks like him. My mother likes to keep everyone in check with an iron fist and be in control of everything. I think she loves power, control, and money more than her own kids. I was one of the last in the family to get a meister because she either didn't like any of them or my brothers would take them from me. Grim was the only one they were not able to take away. It doesn't help that I am the only ranged weapon in the family…" Hatori paused.
"You don't need to continue if you don't want to." Maka stated feeling guilty about asking.
I put my hand on Hatoris shoulder.
"it's fine. My mother wanted all melee weapons like her family, she is also a weapon, my father is a meister. His family is a mixture of the two… she heard a meister was in need of a weapon with calming aura in the states so she moved us to the states to see if any of us would be compatible with them not knowing it was the daughter of lord death. That's when I met grim. Before then I was tormented by my family for simply looking like my father as well as being a ranged weapon and not being strong enough. Even before moving to the states I started training to get stronger. A few times I got so angry during my training I broke a tree or two. That's when I focused on my calming aura, my mother hated me even more for it since I wouldn't learn an element and she turned most of my siblings against me. I don't know her full reasons." His face sank as he continued.
"I will tell you guys more later."
I put my hand on his shoulder again as he was visibly starting to shake.
"If you don't ask me asking, how many siblings do you have? I have one older brother myself." Soul added.
We heard a thud from Maka hitting Soul with a book.
"Ow. Sorry." He wheezed.
"That was the wrong time to ask that." Maka scolded him.
"it's fine…" Hatori whispered.
After a brief pause he continued.
"I have 11 siblings. six older and five younger, not all biological."
"That's a rather large family. and they all hate you?" Black Star chimed in.
He nodded.
"Why don't we continue this later, we should focus on the mission." Victor added trying to change the subject.
"Thank you." Hatori mouthed.
We walked in silence for a while.
"The town is not much further." Victor said breaking the silence
I started to feel something was off like we were being watched. noire noticed too.
"You ok?" Hatori asked, noticing I was a little off.
"yeah. something feels off. I can't really explain it." I responded.
He nodded, pulling me closer to him. it started to get dark.
"We should make camp." Maka suggested.
Everyone agreed.
"I can make dinner." Victor chimed in.
"actual cooked meal we don't have to pay for I am ok with that." Patty said.
"Just dont let Dragedge help." I joked knowing the consequences.
Dragedge punched me in the shoulder embarrassed but laughing. Everyone was confused.
"I am almost scared to ask." Victor said under his breath.
"Why is he not allowed to help?" Tsubaki questioned.
"Do you want to tell them or should i?" I laughed, turning to Dragedge.
His face turning red he pointed to me.
"He is a disaster in the kitchen or with cooking of any kind. When we were traveling I did most of the cooking. He would either set something on fire or destroy something entirely. I am still trying to figure out how he managed to burn and melt 40 pots in a month. We also have a home repair company on speed dial the amount of times he had destroyed my kitchen, nearly hitting me in the process of something exploding." I continued trying to hold back laughing.
"You are never allowed to touch my cookware." Victor half joked looking at Dragedge.
"I used to be a great cook," He sighed.
"We need some firewood. Black Star , Soul, why don't you two come with me to find some." He continued.
They nodded and went off. The girls helped Victor cook, while Kid and I got the tents ready. Hatori went and sat under a tree, Victor noticed him walking towards the tree. Victor took a break from making dinner to walk over towards Hatori. He was looking at some pictures rubbing his side.
"how's the side feeling?" Victor inquired.
Hatori looked up.
"It hurts like hell but I will manage."
"I can use some healing magic to ease the pain again.'
Hatori nodded.
"I understand how you feel about your family. I have issues with mine too." Victor confessed as he was healing.
"I want to know why they hate me so much." Hatori confided.
"It's hard to tell."
I started walking over.
"What are the pictures of?" He asked gently.
"There are a few, this one is of my father and I, one of my family before my father left and the most recent of everyone recently." Hatori responded by flipping through the photos showing them to Victor.
"I am going to let you get some rest."
He nodded. Victor started walking back.
"He is upset. any time someone brings up family or he sees a member of his family He gets like this." I told Victor as we passed each other.
"I understand the feeling. dinner should be ready soon." He replied.
"Thanks."
I knelt next to Hatori.
"Are you ok?" I gently questioned.
"I will be fine. you know I don't like to talk about them or seeing them." He responded, stretching out his arms practically grabbing me.
I chuckled sitting on the ground between his lap leaning my head on his shoulder trying to avoid his injured ribs.
"I know you dont like talking about them but the kids and Victor are trying to help and understand what is going on. I'm sorry you got hurt because of my fathers inability to warn them."
"It's fine. I'm sure it would have happened either way."
We talked a little longer before accidentally falling asleep.
(Dragedge and the others appeared not long after.
"Where are Grim and Hatori?" Dragedge questioned.
"Over by the tree I think they fell asleep. I don't want to wake them." Tsubaki replied.
"What about dinner?" Soul asked.
"I dont know. should we wake them up?" Liz added.
"Let them sleep a little. They havent seen eachother in over four years. They deserve this. we can wake them once you guys are done cooking or we can set a plate aside for them." Dragedge chimed in.
"I think I remember dad saying something about that. He was reassigned to the branch here temporarily to help find a headmaster." Kid continued.
"Yeah. He agreed to help to keep his mother from causing a scene. He didn't want to leave Grim and was even supposed to come on our journey with us." Dragedge explained.
"I can only imagine how upset she was." Maka said.
"Yeah. She was a mess for a while. It was the furthest they have been separated since we were 16." Dragedge started.
"They look closer than most partners I have seen." Soul joked.
"They are. They have only gotten closer through the years. The day Hatori came to the school grim was home sick I was tasked with showing the new students around. when Grim came back the two of them were inseparable almost immediately." Dragedge continued.
"Let them sleep. They are both hurting and need rest plus dinners ready." Victor spoke up.
Everyone nodded as Victor handed out the plates. Before eating, Kid walked over and gently slipped a blanket over the two.)