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𝟑𝟐 || 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐍 ||

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The first thing that greets Takemichi when he steps out of the CPS department are bright stars.

    They shine over Takemichi, creating a secret path in the night sky to a place only the afterlife can go to. The fresh air that hits him is unlike any other, clearing his senses with a single inhale. Takemichi never thought he'd be able to pick out the difference between the air from outside to the stuffy air that fills each household, but here he is—picking out each difference and cherishing the air the plants grant him.

    A light breeze runs through Takemichi's hair, making the boy sigh in relief. It's so sweet and gentle, like a mother's hand picking apart the knots in his hair—

    The curly haired boy turns to his new companion, the one that helped Takemichi escape from the department, and smiles.

    "Thanks for getting me out of there!" Takemichi says joyfully, earning a weird snicker from the tall boy.

    "I didn't just do it for you, little Gaki—I did it cause that place was soooo boringggg~" the tall boy complains, brushing off Takemichi's thanks with ease.

    Takemichi scrunches his face up at the boy who continues to walk away, going who knows where. "Boring? That place was traumatizing..." Takemichi grumbles.

    "It was traumatizing for you cause you're so easy to pick on, little Gaki!"

    "...You're a very mean kid, y'know that Hanma?"

    The tall boy—Hanma—laughs like a maniac; golden eyes narrowing in a chishire like way, portraying the appearance of a sly cat.

    "Of course I do! I wouldn't be me if I wasn't a  little bit cruel~"

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Takemichi's first day with Child Protective Services passed in a blur of unshed tears.

    He was constantly crying, huddling away from kids of all ages—ranging from nine to maybe late teens—and isolating himself from the people around him. Some workers would come up to him, trying to whisper words of comfort that felt fake and scripted and Takemichi shouted at them to leave him alone. They did eventually leave Takemichi by himself, but then they started sending kids over to Takemichi to distract him from his sorrow. He didn't hesitate to scream, kick, or even punch the kids who tried to drag him into some game they were playing. He got scolded by the workers for making one of the kids bleed, but Takemichi didn't hear a word of what the worker said, too caught up in his own thoughts.

    He mostly thought about his mom and the blood that stained her hands.

    Takemichi hates to admit that he was scared of his mother—that he ran away from her instead of thanking her for stopping the old man from getting him. Shame became a common feeling that accompanied him during his first day at CPS. It made a home inside his gut, getting cozy and nice, and staying for as long as Takemichi's thoughts drifted to his sweet mother.

    The small boy also didn't eat or drink anything for almost the whole day. The workers had tried to stuff food down his throat when he started fighting back, but none of them managed to get a single crumb past his lips. His stomach was already full of shame—he didn't need anything else.

    But, eventually, his stomach began crying for food. It rumbled and shouted for some kind of substance, waking Takemichi up from his awful nap. It poked and prodded at his ribs till he sat up out of the little futon the workers had given him. The aching boy got up out of his futon and began looking around for something to stuff his stomach with.

    He started sneaking around the department, tip-toeing past sleeping children, and dodging workers who worked late shifts.

    Takemichi kept doing this until he heard a crowd of rowdy kids cheering and shouting behind a mysterious door. The sign on the door read 'Maintenance' but the screaming past the wooden barrier told a whole other story. 

    While Takemichi's curiosity was screaming at him to barge in and ask questions, the other side wanted to be rational and think things through.

    But he's hungry.

    And thirsty.

    And a curious kid.

    And what if the kids behind the door had food and water to spare?

    With that thought in mind, Takemichi carefully cracks the door open, letting a bright yellow light stream out into the dark hallway. The light temporarily blinds Takemichi, but—after blinking a few times—he's able to properly process the scene before him.

    Older kids, maybe two or three years older than Takemichi, were yelling and shouting with glee, all crowding around two angry kids who kept throwing their bodies at each other—cursing and throwing punches until their skin was painted red. The kids watching the two fighters cheered and pointed, throwing fake money into the tiny makeshift fighting ring without a care in the world. Food and drinks were being passed around, stories were being told, jokes were being exchanged, and a strong sense of yearning drew Takemichi closer and closer to the crowd of Kids.

    Takemichi ended up drifting to a far corner of the room so he could stare at the food longingly without causing much of a fuss. He wanted to reach out and ask one of the older kids for a bag of chips or a cup of water, anything would do, but the fear of being kicked out kept Takemichi rooted in his spot. He watched everyone from afar, listening to the cheers of the rowdy kids and his noisy stomach that wouldn't stop screaming at him to get a grip and grab some snacks.

    He bowed his head and hugged his stomach, wishing the poking and prodding would go away, when a large shadow falls over Takemichi. At first, Takemichi thought the lights in the room went out, but upon looking up and seeing the rather tall kid in front of him, he was proven wrong. Indefinitely wrong.

    The kid that loomed over Takemichi was lanky and tall, reminding the curly haired boy of Hakkai. His scrawny form was covered in a large t-shirt that reached his mid-thighs, and a pair of baggy pants that pool around his ankles. His long black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, swaying lightly with each move he made. Golden colored eyes peered down at Takemichi; dark and dangerous were the two words that ran through Takemichi's head upon making eye contact with his predatory like irises. Then there was his smirk—malicious and wild in a Keisuke kind of way.

    Warnings flared around Takemichi like red flags the longer he stared up at the threatening figure. He took several steps back, hoping to create some distance, but the tall kid followed after him. His smirk widened as he copied Takemichi and took several steps forward, matching the boy's moves like a secret dance.

    Then Takemichi's back slammed against a wall.

    The frightened boy looked up, staring death in the eyes as the stranger got closer, and closer, and closer, until—

    A juice box is shoved into Takemichi's gaping mouth.

    "There you go! Now a bug won't go flying into your mouth!" The strange boy teased, leaning down to boop Takemichi's nose with the pad of his finger.

    Takemichi leaned back, a mixture of shock and skepticism bouncing around in his gut as he tried to figure out why the boy even approached him in the first place. Was he trying to pick on Takemichi? Intimidate him? Interrogate him for information? Or was he just...y'know, weird?

    As questions and thoughts started running through Takemichi's head, drool began to drip out of his mouth, covering the small juice box in his saliva. The small boy didn't notice it until the tall kid wiped his chin with his long sleeve, a curious glint sparkling in his golden eyes. "You gonna drink that or chew on it like a dog?" He asked, making Takemichi's face light up in flames.

    With reddened cheeks, Takemichi took the juice box out of his mouth, poked the small straw through the hole, and sipped— Alleviating his thirst. The first drop that dropped on Takemichi's tongue had him sipping for more, finishing the juice box in seconds. With his blue eyes downcast, avoiding the tall boy's gaze, Takemichi worked on drinking the apple juice till the box was completely empty.

    "Damn little man, you sure know how to put away a juice box!" The lanky boy commented, his voice high with surprise and amusement. Takemichi just shrugged his shoulders, absentmindedly chewing on the thin straw as he tried to get more apple juice out of the already-empty box. He was unsuccessful.

    "For a kid that screams a lot, you're really quiet..."

    ...Eh?

    Takemichi finally looked up from his empty juice box, his already red cheeks darkening in color as he made eye contact with the looming boy. That's when Takmichi was hit with the memory of him kicking and screaming like a baby; he blushed in embarrassment, feeling a little bit ashamed for his rather dramatic behavior earlier that day. Did this kid watch him from afar throw a temper tantrum? Was he one of the kids that were being made to ask him to participate in stupid games?

    The embarrassed boy crushed the juice box in his hands, his blue eyes not breaking eye contact with the stranger's golden irises.

    "Those kids were bothering me. I—I did all that to make them leave me alone..." Takemichi mumbled weakly, basically pulling the stupid excuse out of his ass. He hadn't been thinking at the time. CPS reminded him a little too much of the school Takemichi used to attend back before he and his mother moved into the apartment next to Keisuke. He had relied on his instincts the entire time he attended his old school, acting in a way that had kids laughing and pointing fingers at him like a side attraction, but it got them to leave him alone, so he resorted to the same tactics—screaming and throwing a fit like a child with a temper tantrum.

    The tall kid didn't point out Takemichi's stupid lie and instead laughed, probably poking fun at his explanation. "Well you sure know how to put on a show! All of us could hear you from the other room over, you screaming banshee~" he teased, taking the juice box out of Takemichi's hands. The embarrassed boy lets the stranger do as he pleases, watching with narrowed eyes as the kid throws the juice box over his shoulder, not seeming to care where it ended up.

    "...why are you talking to me?" Takemichi asked, somehow building up enough courage to bring forth the question that's been plaguing his mind since the tall boy approached him.

    The boy with golden eyes leaned over the boy, his face only mere inches from Takemichi's. His minty breath fanned across the smaller boy's face, his pointed nose almost brushing up against Takemichi's small button nose. Takemichi didn't back away—well, he couldn't back away. His back was already pressed up against the wall, so Takemichi could do nothing but stand his ground. He stood up straight, keeping eye contact with the weird kid, and tried not to turn tail and run away.

    Takemichi's courage was rewarded with a dangerous smile filled with ill intent.

    "Because I can...and I'm bored," the tall kid answered before standing back up, giving Takemichi room to breathe his own oxygen. Then, shocking Takemichi, the tall kid grabbed Takemichi's wrist and pulled him along, leading him to an area full of snacks, drinks, and gossiping kids that looked older than takemichi. The small boy tried digging his heels into the ground, attempting to stop the boy from dragging him along like a used doll, but his strength was nothing compared to the tall kid.

    "Huh? What are you—"

    "You're hungry, right? Then eat—we got plenty of shit for you to eat."

     Takemichi watched with wide eyes as the lanky kid shouted at the older kids to leave the counter full of food, his demeanor doing a complete one-eighty. He threatened the boys and girls with a menacing smile, grabbing them by the collar of their oversized shirts and shoving them away like pieces of trash, and they began to scatter away, leaving just Takemichi and his harasser.

    The tall kid pushed Takemichi towards the counter and started handing the smaller boy bags and bags of chips. Takemichi, none the wiser and hungry out of his mind, accepted the snacks with a small thank you and began tearing into them. He munched on each chip like his life depended on it, cherishing the flavor, the texture, and the satisfying taste that left Takemichi's tongue.

    The weird kid just kept tossing snacks towards him, watching Takemichi with gleaming golden eyes. If Takemichi wasn't distracted by the many bags of food on the table, then he probably would've been creeped out by the older boy's staring problem. Takemichi didn't bother pointing it out though—the last thing he wanted was to upset the kid with his blunt words and be kicked out of the haven Takemichi snuck into.

    While Takemichi stuffed his face with chips and emptied out every juice box handed to him, the older kid kept getting closer and closer till their shoulders brushed against each other, hardly leaving Takemichi any room to breathe.

    "I've never seen someone so small eat so many bags of food!" The boy exclaimed excitedly, like the mere presence of Takemichi was the most entertaining thing in the world. "Is your stomach a black hole or something?"

    Takemichi shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what a black hole even was, and kept on chewing.

    "Did your parents starve you? I mean, look at how skinny your arms are—"

    "No," Takemichi interrupted, feeling his eye switch uncontrollably at the mere mention of being mistreated by his own mom. "My mom took good care of me!"

    The weird kid raised in hands as if he was stung by Takemichi's words, a wild smile played on his lips. "Woooahhh~ relax, kid! It's just a question—no need to get all defensive!" He chirped happily, his golden eyes gleaming down at Takemichi with Interest.

    "Then don't say anything about my mom. She's the most amazing mom in the world!!!" Takemichi exclaimed angrily, more than a little frustrated at the boy next to him.

    The tall kid tilted his head, his eyes glistening with mischief.

    "If your mom really is amazing, then what are you doing here, Hm?"

    Takemichi opened his mouth to say something, but no words escaped his lips. He couldn't bring himself to speak because, the truth is, he knows why he's here.

    He's here because his mom killed for him.

    Without a single warning, Takemichi found himself looking away, blinking away tears that threatened to fall down his cheeks. He set the bags of food back down onto the counter and began wiping his eyes, trying to keep his tears from trailing down his face.

    "It's a mistake..." Takemichi croaked out. "I'm not supposed to be here...I'm supposed to be with her!"

    The older boy tutted at him like a small child. Takemichi then felt a long arm wrap itself around his shoulders, drawing him back against the tall kid's chest.

    "But you're not with her, because you're here with us," the older boy mumbled against Takemichi head of hair. His companion's words triggered something in Takemichi; seconds later, he's crying, trying and failing to keep his whimpers to himself, locked away, never to be seen by anyone he didn't trust, but he failed. The older boy cooed and fawned over the boy like he were a doll—wiping his tears away with his long sleeves, pinching his red cheeks and nose as some sick entertainment, but Takemichi allowed it to happen.

    "Y'know, I can help you get back to your mom."

    ...huh?

    Takemichi looked up at the boy as if he were a god.

    "You...you can?"

    "Of course!" The boy exclaimed cheerfully, his eyes crinkling joyfully as he cupped Takemichi's face in his hands. "But you have to help me with something first."

    "Anything," Takemichi said before he could think twice about it. "I-I'll help you! Just tell me what I need to do!" He shouted, wanting nothing more than to see his sweet mother again.

    "You gotta help me escape this place—then, once we're both out, I'll help reunite you with your mom, deal?"

    "D-Deal!"

    "Awesome!!!" The boy exclaimed excitedly, his hands moving from Takemichi's face to his hands, trapping them with his long fingers. "This makes us partners in crime, foodie boy!"

    Takemichi narrowed his eyes at the nickname, not liking it in the slightest.

    "My name's Hanagaki, not foodie boy..."

    "Hmmm...how about Little Gaki?!"

    "...little gaki? That just sounds weird..." Takemichi mumbled, making the older boy cackle like a hyena.

     "You sure are an entertaining kid, little Gaki! And—since it's only fair—you can call me Hanma, ok?"

    Takemichi forced himself to smile up at Hanma, his soon to be savior, and found the shame inside his stomach slowly melting away.

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Sneaking out of CPS was relatively easy.

    All Takemichi had to do was cause a scene to distract the workers from seeing Hanma snatch one of the Worker's key cards, then—after waiting a week like Hanma instructed—they snuck out at nighttime and they were out of there for good!

    Takemichi continues to follow after Hanma along the sidewalk, skipping happily like a prancing deer. Hanma shoves his hands in his pockets and whistles a tune that drifts and dances in the wind around them.

    God, Takemichi is just so happy to finally be out of that living hell!! And now he can finally go see his mom! Speaking of which—

    "So Hanma!" Takemichi begins after catching up with the older kid, matching him stride for stride. Hanma looks down at him and raises a brow, a surprised look crossing his face as he stares down at Takemichi. The small boy decides to brush off the weird feeling in his gut, and continues to talk. "You're gonna help me get to my mom now, right?" He asks, reminding the boy about the other part of the deal.

    "Ah—right, yeah, guess I gotta stick to my word, huh?"

    "Yeah!"

    Hanma laughs at Takemichi's enthusiasm and beckons him in close with the wave of his hand. Takemichi does as instructed, inches in close, and stares into Hanma's golden eyes, ready to finally see his sweet mom and be wrapped in her warm embrace.

    "There's this secret passage to the prison that's holding your mom. I'll give you the directions, but you gotta listen very closely, ok?"

    Takemichi nods his head like a bobble head and waits patiently for Hanma to reveal the sacred information.

    Hanma leans down, his lips almost pressed up against Takemichi's ear, and