Silence | Book 2

4-10: Assist

Hibiki watched from a distance as Tristan talked with his father and Anya to a police officer. The woman was a bit older, and explained the procedure to them and what they'd need. It was mostly Tristan's father who did the responding, save for a few reserved yes and no's from Tristan.

While he waited for them to finish, he crossed his arms and leant against the hallway wall. Now he had a moment of quiet, and saw how uncomfortable Tristan really was, an insidious sort of anger started to build. It stalked through his thoughts, not yet on the surface but definitely present. It pissed him off that Tristan got hurt; that nothing he could do would be enough to save him on its own.

But as much as he wanted to see the woman who did this locked away and forgotten about, he knew those thoughts came from rage, and not reason. As long as she saw the inside of a prison that would be enough – that meant she couldn't hurt Tristan again and he could help him recover. In the end that would be the most important: to get all the darkness and pain she undoubtedly had put in his mind out.

It frustrated him, because he wasn't sure how he would do that, or even if he could. He read up enough to know that it wasn't always possible to help, and that sometimes a victim got stuck. Especially if they wouldn't accept help, and he had seen already how reluctant Tristan was. Yet despite fearing that, he would do his very best. He knew that they had something good, something not everyone had – that he'd never had with anyone else.

His contemplations were abruptly broken by the conversation between Tristan's father and the police officer coming to an end. As Tristan walked up to him, he smiled, even with all the worries and frustrations bouncing around in his head. It wasn't fair to bother Tristan with those in an already difficult moment.

"I think this will take a while. Are you sure you don't mind waiting?"

He shook his head calmly, and unfolded his arms to look less stand-offish. It appeared to ease Tristan slightly, but he still glanced away from the nerves, his hands hovering uncertain as if he didn't know where to leave them.

"It might take an hour or more? They have to get everything right."

He smiled a little wider and nodded, to say that he figured something like that would happen.

"I'll go now then, see you when it's over." Tristan lifted his hand, and a small, wavering smile appeared.

Before he could leave however, he put a hand on his shoulder holding him there for just a second. Quickly he unlocked his phone and tapped in a single symbol, showing it only to Tristan.

'♡'

With a slow, determined nod and a stern glance up, he made sure Tristan understood. The latter nodded back hastily, slightly flustered. He smiled again and let him go, closing his phone before anyone else would see.

When Tristan and his family had gone to give testimony, he sat down on one of the plastic chairs that lined the walls in the entrance hall. Kazuo sat down beside him. For a little while he let it all go quiet, watching the police officers go about.

Sighing softly, he took out his phone, and searched the internet for the newer models. Picking on and copying the link, he wrote a message for Kazuo.

'Can you get me one of these while I wait? And get this phone reset?'

The man looked up a bit bewildered by the request.

「Are you not happy with this one?」

He smiled and shrugged, before handing over his phone and continuing in sign language.