A Visit With Neesan [Ai]

[Ryan Cardwell]

At this moment, Tristan was scared. No, that wasn't quite right. He was absolutely terrified. Some of the older boys had cornered him in the hallway and were picking on him again. This always happened, partially because he was always too afraid to fight back. At the moment he was curled up in the corner, hands over his head as he cried. Meanwhile the boys were calling him things like 'girly', 'baby', 'wuss', 'fag', and all sorts of mean things as they kicked him. Tristan just cried, his voice little more than a faint whisper. "Help...." The boys just laughed at him, the tiny blond boy wincing as another of them stomped on him.

[Aione Higurashi]

"Oh dammit Tristan..." Aione called down the empty halls, her expression paniced and her breathing fast. She had lost him, again, in these dammed rooms. And she knew what a danger her new master could get into. After all, she was one of the cuties and it always got her in trouble. After Naelona had told her to 'keep an eye on him' and 'don't let him get in trouble', the boy had run off on his own. Wunderbah.

You are so dead when I find you...if you're not already...!!

Turning another corner, she caught site of a group of boys crowded around something she couldn't see. She heard grunts, followed by insults...more grunt...a cry. Ai's fists clenched as she started at the boys, her eyes narrowed into slits. It was a leap, literally, but she had to do something! Swining her arm at max-strength, she hit one of the taller boys right in the face. Stronger than she looked (and catching him off guard), Ai sent him to the ground.

After a quick glance at Tristan, the new Tristan, on the floor...he won't remember me as Aione...she sent a glare out to the other guys. Her voice sounded in the halls as a warning. And dammit, she meant every word of it. "You touch my otouto-kun again and I'll kill you, you bastards!"

[Ryan Cardwell]

At this point he'd stopped crying, though that was only because he was cried out. If not for the fact that his eyes were clenched shut, his vision might have been going black a bit. The boys hadn't really done that much to damage him too badly, but as small and frail as he was a little went a long ways. That meant it would probably be a simple matter for them to beat him to death without ever realizing it. To be honest, he wasn't sure he cared. No one really liked him, they were always picking on him. And those big mean boogedy things were always scaring him and being even meaner. But just as he was about to give up, he felt something heavy slam into the floor next to him.

"You touch my otouto-kun again and I'll kill you, you bastards!"

Carefully peeking one eye open, he was amazed to see that it was one of the boys that had been picking on him. At this he opened his eyes fully, looking up to see who his savior was.He was even more amazed to see that it was that pretty girl that Miss Nae had left him with. Scrambling too his feet, which was a bit difficult seeing as a large portion of him was bruised, he quickly ran behind the girl. Forgetting the fact that there was a bit of blood on his mouth from where he'd been hit earlier, he buried his face into her back. He was still afraid, but at least now he wasn't alone.

[Aione Higurashi]

The boys seemed floored (no pun intended) by the arrival of this new person. Ai was a bit surprised herself at her short temper...when was she so quick to anger? It's because you're starting to listen to me, love. Inner Ai chuckled before returning to her corner or Aione's mind. Unfortunatley for the redhead, she couldn't disagree. It seemed her inner voice was getting stronger by the hour. Her silver eyes weren't hers as she scanned the older boys, her gaze dripping with acid. She looked more like a malicious Boogie then a protective human.

Ai's rage melted the instant she felt Tristan burrowing into her shirt. Part of her was estatic that he was okay, that he wasn't injured to much, that he was concious...the other half felt like it was drowning. Drowning, because he still wouldn't know it was his 'little sister' protecting him. Ironically, it was the Inner Ai who was happy, and the real Ai who felt sick. A strange turn around, wouldn't you say? She felt blood on her back, but she ignored it and kept staring at the boys as they started to run off. Inner Ai mused. Probably think I'm the Boogie or something and Oniisan is my slave...they don't know how wrong they are...

Once the guys were out of sight, Ai turned her attention back to the midget in her shirt. Inner Ai's heart warmed strangley. She had to crouch to look Tristan in the eyes, she winced at the bruises, and a slight smile grew on her face. "Hey now, are you okay otouto-kun? Those big jerks won't come back. Don't worry."

[Ryan Cardwell]

Tristan kept his face buried in her back during all of this, so he didn't see anything that was happening. To tell the truth, if he had seen the way Ai was looking at the boys he'd have fled in terror as well. But luckily he didn't, and so he found himself feeling utterly safe with the red haired beauty that had come to save him from his fate.

"Hey now, are you okay otouto-kun? Those big jerks won't come back. Don't worry."

"Umm... Y-yeah. I think i'm ok..." He sniffled a bit, still a bit upset by the ordeal. But as he stared into those odd silver eyes, he felt an odd feeling of contentment seep over him. He'd never known anything like it, not even when he was with Miss Naelona. There was just something about this girl that put him at peace, though he had no idea what it could be.

Wiping away the last few tears he tilted his head at her, a confused look in those big green eyes of his. "But umm.... Whats....otouto-kun mean?"

[Aione Higurashi]

Aione closed her eyes and gave the boy a warm grin. "That's good. I'd hate it if you were injured." Wow. Never thought I'd say that to him. It felt a bit odd for Ai to be coming to her master's rescue, considering it was always her getting cornered by big bad Boogies. But since the change had happened, she'd been watching him like a hawk. This was the first time they had spoken face to face.

Her head tilted slightly at the familiarity of the question. Stop using honorfics and people won't get confused, moron. The voice jeered, then went silent as Aione mentally hissed at it. Her silver eyes met his green ones, and a cold feeling celnched at her chest. Green eyes...just two eyes, for that matter...it didn't feel right to her. Not at all. But her smile stayed in place. "Otouto means 'little brother' in japanese. If you don't like it, I can call you by your name, Tr...Tristan-san."

Why did she find it difficult to say his name? Looks and personality aside, it was still him. But it doesn't feel right...

[Ryan Cardwell]

"That's good. I'd hate it if you were injured."

That confused him more than anything. Why would she care if he got hurt? Nobody cared about him. Not even Miss Naelona did. Sure, she got angry when the other boogies beat him up, but that was just because he belonged to her. It had nothing to do with actually caring. So the way this girl talked and looked at him were things beyond his meager ability to comprehend.

"Otouto means 'little brother' in japanese. If you don't like it, I can call you by your name, Tr...Tristan-san."

Tristan's mouth fell agape and his eyes widened considerably, growing even larger than they normally were. The small boy was simply amazed. He had a sister? Was that even possible? ...Well, he had to admit that it was. He didn't remember having a sister, or any family at all for that matter. But then there were alot of things that he couldn't remember, most of his life for example. So it was very possible that she could be his sister. And if she was....then that meant he wouldn't have to be alone any more. "Y-your my b-big sister....?" Without waiting for an answer he flung his arms around the older girl, holding onto her for dear life. NOw that he'd found her, he was never going to let her go.

[Aione Higurashi]

God...he looks like a little dollie...kyaaa... Inner Ai giggled, a sound that scared Aione to an extreme. Admitably his confused look was adorable, but Inner Ai didn't like anything! So why was she so intrested in this new 'chibi-chan' Tristan? Either way, it was disturbing. For many reasons. And his widdning eyes made him look even cuter. Come on, dobe. Admit it. He's the sweetest thing. She chucked a mental stool at the annoying voice, wanting it to dissapear. Like that will happen.

Aione's face went from peach to tomatoe as soon as his arms wrapped around her. This seemed very familiar, but turned around to an extreme. The voice cheered silently in the background. "A-Ah! W-Well, yes, I suppose I am, Tris--er--otouto-kun..." her voice was barely a whisper as her hand lifted to pat the boy's back gently. He wasn't the old Tristan...his attitude was completly diffrent...but she didn't mind this. She didn't mind holding him...he's like a newborn kitten. Really adorable.

[Ryan Cardwell]

Tristan was completely unaware of Ai's little mental spazz attack. To tell the truth he would have been blushing furiously right about now if he had, especially at the dollie comment. He knew that he was about as far from being masculine as you could get without being female, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He wished he could be tough like the other slaves, even Mr. Kristopher was more manly than him.

"A-Ah! W-Well, yes, I suppose I am, Tris--er--otouto-kun..."

He was glad. When you were as young, small, and fragile as he was, it was terrifying always being on your own. For as long as he could remember, which admittedly wasn't very long, he'd always wanted someone to be with him. Someone that actually cared about him beyond his status as a belonging. Smiling softly he hugged her tighter, burying his face into her body once more. For a brief moment something passed over him, and in that moment her whispered. "I've missed you." He blinked, confusion once again swirling through his eyes. Where did that come from? Perhaps it was just his body acting on memories he couldn't find? Yeah. That had to be it. Content once more he smiled again, nuzzling into his big sister again.

[Aione Higurashi]

Didn't see that coming, huh. Aione went stiff, eyes widdening even more. It took her a minute to remember how to breathe, then a little longer to take in a breath. Okay, easy Ai. It's not that he's remembered. It was...probably because he thinks we're his sister. It's a normal thing to say. Aione tried not to scoff. Who am I kidding? Normal doesn't exist. Ai's hands wrapped tighter around the small boy. "I missed you too."

After a little while, she pulled away and smiled. "I'm glad that you're safe. You shouldn't wander off like that." The second she said that, she bit her bottom lip. Inner Ai sighed and poked Aione's forehead. Moron. He doesn't know you've been watching him. Good thing he thinks we're his sister... a cold laugh echoed in her ears, Otherwise he'd think we were stalking him.

[Ryan Cardwell]

"I missed you too."

That made Tristan's life. He snuggled farther into the girl, almost mashing himself against her at this point. At this moment, for the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid. All he felt was deep seated love and a warm contentment. Some may have thought it odd that he should feel so strongly about her. He'd just met the girl, as far as he knew at least, and already he loved her more deeply than anything else. But then, that was the way he was. It didn't matter if she was lying to him, he'd never know it. The small boy was desperate for someone to care about him. He wasn't sure if he could take being alone much more. It was hard, especially when you were a teeny tiny boy that was so feminine your Y chromosome was sprouting the extra limbs.

"I'm glad that you're safe. You shouldn't wander off like that."

He didn't think it odd at all, and he'd never think such a thing of his beloved big sister. Instead he smiled sheepishly, looking down at the floor. It wasn't exactly anything that should make one nervous, but then everything made him nervous. "I'm sorry Neesan, I didn't mean to make you worry. I'll never do it again, I promise." He grinned up at her happily, not bothered a bit by the oddness of what he'd just said. He wasn't aware of it, but things were ever so slowly falling back into place piece by piece. It was just a bit at a time, and it was an extremely slow process, but just being near Ai seemed to speed it up. Perhaps it was because he could never be whole without her. Not even were he who he truly was.

[Aione Higurashi]

"You better not. Otherwise I'll have to lock you in your room." Although Aione's tone was stern, her smile was warm and kind as she joked. Kind of. Part of her wondered if that was actually nessecary, what with all the big bad Boogies who'd love a shot at the new innocent Tristan. A couple names already popped into her head...Iugo was one of them. That wasn't a meeting Ai was looking foreward to. The redhead paused, then flicked her 'new' brother on the forehead, careful not to hit any injury.

"Now come on," she chimmed, standing up and taking Tristan's hand. The voice laughed at the odd height diffrence. "I left my first-aid kit in Miss Naelona's room. Let's get those cuts taken care of, okay otouto-baka?" Little brother, big brother...gold eye or green eyes...he's still Tristan. But now it's my turn to look after him.

[Ryan Cardwell]

"You better not. Otherwise I'll have to lock you in your room."

Immediately he looked up, fear in his huge, round eyes. Miss Naelona had threatened to do almost that, though she's phrased it differently. She'd said she was going to chain him to her bed. The worst part was that he still didn't know if she had been serious or not. Intuition was something that was far beyond him, his mind only being minimally developed. He still had trouble with most things, like counting and coloring inside the lines. Shoe tying was still far beyond him, so Miss Nae had bought him some nice little shoes that buckled. For some reason though.....he had a sneaking suspicion they were girl's shoes.

"Now come on, I left my first-aid kit in Miss Naelona's room. Let's get those cuts taken care of, okay otouto-baka?"

He was happy, that was the only word for it. His tiny hand closed within hers, much smaller than the girl's own. Eyes alight as he stared up at her, he nodded and grinned at her. There was plenty of blood in his mouth, but he didn't notice. Truth be told he was a bit worried about going to Miss Naelona's room, she always got mad when he got himself hurt, but as long as he was with his big sister he didn't mind. It was at that moment he suddenly realized he couldn't remember her name. With his free hand he poked himself in the forehead, scrunching his face up adorably as he tried to force out the memories that weren't there. Eventually though he gave up, looking up at her sheepishly. "Um....Neesan?" It still didn't bother him that he knew that word, even though he'd never been told. He just figured it was one more thing he couldn't remember.

[Aione Higurashi]

Aione's smile warmed as she squeezed her little brother's hand. She felt very familiar in this place, hand in hand with him...even if now he was the innocent chibi and she was the weird one. Though Tristan was still odd. Very odd. No amount of anything can change that about him. A glimmer of hope shot through her as she thought that, and she squeezed his hand again absently. She barley heard his quiet voice, but she turned to face him. "Yeah, otouto-chan? What's up?"

(Shortness... ^^

[Ryan Cardwell]

As she squeezed his hand a kind of soft warmth filled him. Something told him that this was right, that this was the way that things were meant to be. He loved his sister, and he dearly hoped she loved him. Of course he'd never think otherwise, he couldn't. As fragile as he was, to think that the one person he though cared about him really didn't would break him. He desperately needed Ai, needed her to care about him. That was something that had never changed, and never would. No matter his size or shape, no matter what he believed to be true, he would always need his sister.

"Yeah, otouto-chan? What's up?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Frowning he tried again, only to be met with the same result. He knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't make the words come out. There was something that was preventing him from asking the question, though he had no idea what it could be. Because of this, and the incredibly short attention span that comes with being a child, he forgot what he was going to ask in the first place. "So what do you want to do when we're done?" Smiling happily to himself he began swinging her arm along with his, not troubled a bit by his inability to remember the exact question. He really wasa little kid.