10 "This is a bad idea."

Tachibana stands in front of Yuno and reads her facial expression, "Look, I know Tori isn't my child and I won't play the he's not your child either line.

"I need you to understand that the way you operate with Tori is fine and all I won't question it, but -

"You coddle him too much and you never tell him no, don't you think if he's smart enough to know that if he doesn't get what he wants from me he can come to you is enough of a sign you should be teaching him yes and no?"

Yuno looks up at Tachibana. She knows he's not wrong she just assumed all those kinds of matters will only be necessary once Tori is a year old.

"I just thought it's too soon for that." She avoids his gaze and he tilts her chin up

"It isn't, and I didn't come here to upset you I just wanted us to talk and set boundaries so we're on the same page."

He takes a step back and they talk about Tori. Tachibana making plans for his future threw Yuno off for a second and Tachibana noticed, "What?" His expression is something between neutral and scrunching his face.

"You're making long term plans for Tori you do realise you're acting like a dad, what will you do if he calls you his dad?"

He shrugs his shoulders, "What will you do when he stops calling you Momo and calls you mom?"

She chuckles, "I am his Mom, I'm waiting for him to get it right."

He groans he was expecting her to be clueless like him, her answer just makes him feel like she just threw him under the bus, "Look, I'll worry about that later I just didn't want you to be upset."

"I never was."

He rolls his eyes, "Sure you weren't." He leaves walking to his office to get started on his paper work.

Ackerman walks in with more snacks.

Tachibana glares at him, "He already had a packet of those things, why is he getting another?"

Ackerman leaves it on the table and Tachibana tucks it away. Tori stands up and screams non stop, Tachibana ignores his tantrum until Tori gives up lying on his stomach till he falls asleep.

Yuno receives a call from Ryu demanding to meet up, after careful consideration and thoroughly weighing her options Yuno grabs her jacket agreeing to meet in a public place, "How about the mall?"

They agree to meet at the mall, at the first entrance, walking in silence next to each other towards the one food place they could ever agree on.

Yuno orders her usual sitting across Ryu giving her judgmental looks. She rolls her eyes asking what the meeting is about.

"I want him back you stole my son." Ryu points an accusing finger at Yuno expressing a completely enraged, disgusted, and bitter tone.

Yuno's face drops her mind instantly going mute, the wires in her head crossing stopping her thought flow, she can't even put together the words coming out of her mouth muttering sounds under her breath. 

Ryu gets annoyed and kicks Yuno under the table snapping her out of her mind block.

Yuno instantly glaring at Ryu, "You left him, never called, never came to check up on him, never showed up after sponging money and a place to stay out of me all my attempts to reach out to you were fruitless.

"Don't you dare give me that line Ryu if you want Tori back fine, but only after you show me where you live, how much you make? And give me a valid reason why?"

"He's my son, what other reason would I need?"

"He was your son 9 months ago!"

Everyone's attention is turned to Yuno's table, both sisters caught in a glaring trance.

"It didn't seem to bother you at all when you just left."

Yuno's rage cools down. The waitress brings their drinks and they spend a moment in silence thinking to themselves.

Yuno randomly shakes her head finally allowing herself to think about the weight Ryu dumped on her back.

Ryu was supposed to be the one taking care of her, not the other way around and when her sister finally convinced her they were going to be one happy family again she dropped a baby at her door step and left.

She didn't know what to do and even as Tori is older she still feels clueless, "You're a parasite Ryu," Yuno expresses at random, all the anger she has been bottling up just sprouting and festering.

"Everyone who gets close to you, you suck dry until there's nothing left." Yuno wipes her tears away.

As much as she hates Ryu right now she could never stay mad at her for long, this is the cycle between the two of them since they were kids, "I have nothing left for you."

Yuno stares straight into Ryu's eyes, "I am over you making me feel guilty just because you're my sister. You were supposed to get your shit together for Tori's sake, you were supposed to take care of us, you were supposed to get the job, you were supposed to spend sleepless nights with the baby, you were supposed to get done with college and step up to the plate. You couldn't even do that."

"He's my son Yuno, if you do not give him back I will have you arrested for kidnapping."

"It's not kidnapping when you left him at 3 days old and suddenly come back when you feel like it. I am not against giving back Tori, I just don't trust you."

Ryu glares at her as far as she's concerned Yuno is in no position to decide if she is fit or not for Tori.

Their meal arrives and both females eat in silence when Ryu notices Yuno angry texting she gets agitated and snatches the phone from her hands, "It's rude to text at the table."

Yuno snatches it back and keeps texting, "Shut up, no one cares what you think. Can you even afford that meal you're eating? Because if you think I'm going to pay for you, I'm sorry to inform you that you're wrong."

Tachibana walks into the restaurant after an hour.

Ryu smirks when she sees him.

Yuno notices and can't figure out what Ryu's end game is. All Yuno knows is that she's only looking at what she can gain and nothing else.

Tachibana joins the table looking between Ryu and Yuno. If the age difference wasn't so obvious they'd easily be mistaken for twins.

"What took you so long?" Ryu asks Tachibana on his phone.

"Sorry, I'm supposed to be filing paperwork today I did not expect to be here." He puts his phone away giving the two females his undivided attention.

"Ryu, you want Hitori back correct?" Ryu nods and Tachibana makes a call. "You two ladies done?" When they say yes he pays for the meal even though he didn't eat anything or want any food for himself.

Yuno and Ryu walk behind Ken towards his car where he left Ackerman with a sleeping Tori.

Tachibana takes the baby from Ackerman and gives Tori to Ryu who smirks at Yuno for her victory, getting a kick out of seeing the emotionless expression on Yuno's face. 

Yuno stays quiet getting in the car with Ackerman. Tachibana agreed to stop making one sided decisions when it comes to Tori, but here he is doing just that.

"That's it? Where are his clothes and shoes?"

Tachibana reassures Ryu that Ackerman will bring them all to her place tomorrow she just needs to give him her address.

Ryu lives at an apartment 2 hours away. Tachibana is trying his level best to go through with his plan, but a part of him is nagging him to change his mind.

He gets in his car and drives away leaving Tori in the hands of his biological mother. He walks into his office and slips on one of Tori's cars, "This is a bad idea." He mutters to himself.

~

Yuno is dropped off at school still ignoring both Tachibana and Ackerman.

"Yuno, I know you're upset with me but can you find it in your heart to remember that I'm just collateral damage between the two of you, and you shouldn't be mad at me in the first place."

Ackerman gets in the car and Yuno turns to Tachibana he doesn't get why she's mad he has Tori's best interests in mind, or so he keeps telling himself.

"You're close to where your sister lives just visit Tori whenever you like."

"Why?" Yuno crosses her arms and looks away in an effort to keep her emotions in check, failing gracefully. The tears escape her eyes, the guilt of giving her Bobo away eating her up.

She knows she isn't his biological mother, but leaving him with Ryu is the worst thing she could do for him, "You have no idea what kind of person my sister is Tachibana."

Tachibana takes a step forward cupping her cheek, wiping the tears away.

"How sure are you that she's telling the truth about where she lives? What if she quits her job tomorrow? She's looking for an excuse to quit her 9 to 5 and have someone else take care of her, you're just giving her what she wants."

She whimpers, sobbing, "If you want to make it your life's mission to give her money and all that crap. Go for it, just don't get Bobo involved." She punches him in the gut shoving him away. He should not be breathing the same air as her right now.

His arms wrap around her, "I know you're sceptic and worried, I just need you to trust me."

"I don't trust her, what if she's beating the ever-loving crap out of Bobo as we speak?"

Tachibana has never seen Yuno this upset, she's been angry before, pissed off and even went so far as to try and murder him a bunch of times, but this time she's distressed and it adds further to his anxieties.

"I'll have her under constant watch if that'll ease your mind. I promise you I have his best interests in mind."

He knows Tori is about to get swirled into a world of chaos and Yuno needs to focus on other things more important than this mess.

His fists tighten as Yuno walks away going to her room still upset with him.

Tachibana gets in the car checking Ryu's address, her apartment is small in a rather quiet city at a pretty expansive flat. He can hear Tori crying from the inside.

The knock on the door makes Ryu jump out of her bed opening the door, freezing in her tracks when she sees that Tachibana came in person.

Tori staggers to Tachibana who picks him up, crying in his arms, "If I ever come back here and he's crying like this you won't like the consequences." Hewarns with a deathly serious look on her face.

Ryu gets a sudden jolt in her core, she likes it when a man has a commanding presence, "He refuses to eat. I don't know what to do."

Tachibana offers to feed Tori but he still refuses to eat which is a big sign he's upset and not in the mood for people, "The rest of Hitori's things will be delivered shortly." He says ruffling Tori's head.

Ackerman arrives shortly after moving all of Tori's things into the apartment.

Tachibana talks to Tori before he leaves.

Ryu is expecting him to say something about her apartment, it's too small for a toddler. She does not believe he will leave her with nothing but Tori's clothes and toys. She's expecting a monthly fat cheque to come with the baby.

Just like that Tachibana is gone and Ryu is left with a silent Tori that is slightly less upset. She makes a call to a friend of hers who can help her get what she wants out of Tachibana.

"You sir, are about to make mama rich." Ryu comments smiling at Hitori who smiles back.

She picks Tori up feeding him his meal before bathing him and letting him play around in the house while she texts away back and forth.

"I just got my ticket to the good life."