Chapter 11: Claire

Chapter 11: Claire

"Wake up, Claire!" 12 year old Claire was jolted awake by the sound of her foster shouting from the kitchen. Claire didn't even care to learn her name. It's not like she would keep her for longer than two weeks. No one ever does.

"Coming!" Claire called back.back groggily as she forced herself out of bed. She brushed her long, brown hair behind her shoulders as she forced herself out of her room.

"Are you ready to start school?" Claire's foster mother asked as she made her way to the kitchen. Claire was supposed to be the first of multiple foster children, but Claire knew better.

"I think I am," Claire sighed. If she remembered correctly, school started in only a couple short days. She resisted the urge to sigh. She didn't know how long she would last at this new school and at this new home, but she might as well enjoy it as it lasts.

-

Haruto woke up in his room. He had gotten accustomed to the new room, as it was much better living on the streets. It was the first day that neither Kiara nor Calli was there to greet him. After a few minutes of thinking, Haruto decided to stand up and lead himself to the kitchen.

""Oh dear Matsuri," Haruto stopped his trek down the stairs as he heard Calli's voice, "Do we really have to go and help?"

"You know how Noel is," Kiara replied as Haruto snuck down the stairs, "She tends to be a bit destructive when someone tries to hurt Flare."

"I know, but why does YAGOO have to call a 'Code Silver' or whatever that means every time something happens," Calli grumbled.

"Mama, Papa?" Kiara and Calli spun around in surprise as Haruto made his presence known, "What's a Code Silver?"

"Oh…" Kiara and Calli gave each other a look before turning back to Haruto.

"Sometimes your onee-chan gets really angry," Kiara tried her best to explain gently, "When she gets angry, sometimes we need to come and help out when that happens."

"Yeah, especially because she levels the city every time," Calli muttered under her breath.

"Can I come watch?" Haruto asked. He's seen cities being leveled in anime and wanted to see it in real life.

"No, sweetie, it's way too dangerous, but," Kiara gave Calli an uncertain look before turning back to Haruto, "There's something we need to talk about."

"What is it?" Haruto tilted his head to the side.

"Kiara and I decided that we should take you to school," Calli knelt down to Haruto's level.

"School?" Haruto pondered the statement. His experience with school wasn't the worst, but he didn't want to go. He would much rather spend his time with Kiara and Calli, doing fun things as a family.

"I don't wanna," Haruto concluded after a little while of thinking, "I want to spend more time with Mama and Papa."

Haruto immediately noticed Kiara's expression softening. He had won his mother over.

"Maybe… we can homeschool him?" Kiara turned to Calli with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"I don't trust you to teach him anything," Cally swatted Kiara on the head, "Remember what happened last time you taught someone?!"

"He turned out fine!" Kiara protested.

-

Meanwhile, a man looked at a mountain of paperwork with a sour expression.

"Tenchou, why did you have to put me through this?"

-

"On second thought, it might be a better idea to send you to school," Kiara rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "I know you want to spend time with us, but school is very important. We can do fun things after school, okay?"

"But…" Haruto took a moment to consider. He knew deep down that Kiara and Calli had his best interests at heart. Also Kiara and Calli have done so much for him and asked him for almost nothing. If they wanted him to go to school, it was the least he could do.

"Alright, I'll go to school," Haruto nodded in response.

"Thank you for understanding, Haruto," Kiara gave her son a smile before giving him a hug. Not long after, he felt Calli join the hug.

Determination lit up in his eyes as he hugged his foster parents back. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but he knew that whatever happened, that his parents would be proud of him.

-

Coco sighed as she looked the bar up and down. If her contacts were right, this was the place.

"So this is where she went off to," Coco sighed irritably. She didn't know how Haachama wound up in Somewhere in Nevada, Nevada, but she wasn't one to ask questions.

"Good morning motherfucker," Coco drawled as she kicked the doors open. She looked around to see an entire bar with dead people, say for the one blonde drinking on the counter.

"Did you do all this?" Coco asked as she sat down next to the blonde.

"Nope! Some guy with goggles or something walked in and shot everyone before leaving," The blonde replied as she looked up to make eye contact with Coco.

"Sure, I'll believe that," Coco replied before sitting down, "Can you pour me one since the bartender is dead, Haachama?"

"Whatever," Haachama fished for a glass behind the counter before pouring Coco a drink with the vodka that was already on the counter, "So that Kiryu Kazuma guy finally let you go, huh? He's so uptight. He should get a hobby that's not murdering his enemies."

"Shodaime never killed anyone!" Coco downed her drink before slamming her glass on the wooden table, "His enemies kill themselves by getting in his way!"

"Sure, I'll believe that," Haachama, repeating Coco's words, gave her a smug smile, "Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"Did ya hear the news?" Coco asked Haachama as the blonde poured her another drink, "Kiara and Calli got a kid."

"Fucking finally," Haachama drawled as she took another drink, "What are you going to do?"

"Shodaime allowed me to go back to Japan to visit him," Coco replied as she smiled at her friend, "Now do you know why I'm here?"

"Say no more," Haachama set her glass down. After Coco finished her last drink, the two left the bar.