Not What They Think

Cheering Her Up

Rin's P.O.V.

'92?'

That's 20 years earlier than she was supposed to. She had to be like 8 when she was left in her tree. What caused her to move in so early?

I bit my lip, wanting to ask, but the look on her face made me hesitate and decide against it. She looked as if she wasn't completely mentally with us. Her eyes were glazed over and a frown had appeared. I could practically feel the anxiety and fear rolling off her form, as she sat stiff as a board. Her hand had tightened its grip on me and the branch. If she squeezed any more I feared for her tree's limb. Her ankles had crossed and her tail had curled in an almost scared and threatening manner.

I didn't want to startle her out of her thoughts, but I needed her to calm down. Her getting this worked up wasn't really helping me from panicking as well. I started by brushing my tail ever so slightly over her own, listening carefully to her breathing, as it started to slow down, as I went. Once she was to a point where I was a bit more satisfied, I gently squeezed her hand back and started to whisper in her ear. I wasn't completely sure what exactly was causing her to panic so I just went with what I knew.

"Mizuki, your okay. You and your tree are safe. Yukio and I won't let anything happen. Breath deeply and release the hold the past has on you. Your future will be better, I'll make sure of it. Whenever you need someone, I'll be there for you."

My words seemed to have reassured her and bring her back. She gave me a weak smile and leaned into my side. I slipped my arm around her shoulders and took a glance at Yukio to see what he thought of what happened.

His expression was contemplating as his eyes flickered to Mizuki and back to me. Finally, he shook his head and turned away, but I could tell he wanted to ask questions as well.

I looked back at Mizuki to see her eyes starting to close. Though I didn't want to keep her up, it probably is best if we kept moving. Try and take her mind off things.

With a little shake and a clearing throat, her eyes flew open and flashed to me. I could see I had caught Yukio's attention as well from the corner of my eye. Perfect. "Okay, how about we continue with what else we had planned for today?" I said with a soft smile as to not pressure her. If she wanted to stay put for the rest of the day, I was perfectly okay with that too. 

At my suggestion, her eyes gained their spark back. "The tour?"

"Yeah." I laughed. "We can't have you getting lost somewhere. Plus, if we're lucky, we can sneak into the clown's amusement park." Though I hope no more perverted ghosts inhabit the place. I don't think the clown would appreciate it if I burned down his whole park.

Yukio raised a brow and leaned around me to get more in the conversation. "You want to take her there? After what happened the last time we went? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Well, why not? We got rid of the little bugger, didn't we? Besides most of what happened was because of Amaimon, like most of the incidents, he should know to leave us alone." I growled out. Did he seriously think I would put her in harm's way or bring her somewhere without thinking first?

He sighed and lent back. "Yeah, guess your right." Ha! See. He looked at his watch before stretching his arms up. "We probably should leave now if we plan to get a decent amount of the tour completed. Who knows, we may even be able to finish it up today." With that, he turned to the trunk of Mizuki's tree and started to make his way down.

I could feel Mizuki wanting to know what we were talking about but she never asked. Instead, she maneuvered around me by putting her hands on my shoulders and stretching a leg over my own. Her other followed the first, and once she was stabled again, she scooted to the trunk and put a hand on it. Leaning in till her forehead touched it, she whispered a quiet goodbye and that she would be back soon.

Her actions seemed almost intimate and I felt awkward for intruding, especially when the tree seemed to respond to her. The leaves and branches rustled, yet there was no wind strong enough to cause it.

I waited for a minute, not willing to interrupt her time. When she finished, she ran her hand down the bark before turning to face me and offering her hand. "Okay, I'm ready now."

I smile at her and take her hand in mine. As long as she's willing to take it, I will always offer her my hand and take hers. I brace myself and could feel Mizuki doing the same as we prepare to jump from the tree and join Yukio on the ground below. We lep and land with a soft thud, yet our hands are still connected.

Yukio had been leaning against the trunk of the tree as he waits for us to come down. He seemed to be just staring up at the sky, probably lost in thought. When he heard the thud, he set his gaze on us and asked. "You two ready?" We nod in affirmation and set off to our next destination.

As we walked, I noticed that Mizuki didn't seem to mind that our hands were still linked, swaying gently between us. I kept my eyes forward and a small smile on my face. I could see Yukio look at me a raise a brow, but he simply turned his focus back in front of him and kept quiet.

After walking for a few minutes, we made it back to the edge of the forest near our dorm. Yukio thought it would be best if we used a key to get around campus faster so we didn't run into so many people and have them start questioning Mizuki's presence, especially other exorcists. We decided to use a door inside the dorm to get to a location closer to the amusement park then on the way back show Mizuki around. It was supposed to be quick and easy, but sadly, Yukio's students had other plans.

"Okumura sensei!"