A Mentor's Hand (文豪ストレイドッグス)

7

At the end of the week, Kiyo had prepared a meal, expecting Chuuya's return. She had even used the money from her mission to get the food, because apparently being a mafia executive meant no time to cook. The meal was perfect: beautifully cooked rice topped with pork slices and sided with lightly roasted vegetables. It would pair perfectly with Chuuya-san's favorite wine.
Just in time, he appeared through the door, but the look on his face was not one of surprise, or even resent. It was completely serious.
"Kiyo-chan, we have to go. You've been summoned by the Boss on an urgent matter."

That was all she needed to know. In less than ten minutes, they were only a block away from HQ. As per usual, Chuuya was barking out the what and what not to do in front of the Boss. These words had been said to her so frequently, they had begun to swim in her dreams, a prominent reminder. They entered the building, the atmosphere changing instantly. Kiyo unconsciously straigtned up.

After all of the security checks, they entered the Boss' room. Instead of the usual set up that came with Elise, the Boss'... daughter, there was a formal meeting table of 6 seats, two of which were empty. Mori was seated at the head; Chuuya immediately bowed, kneeling on the floor and taking his hat off. Kiyo did the same. "Boss" he said, "You summoned us?"
"Indeed, take a seat."
Chuuya took up the spot adjacent from the Boss, Kiyo sat right beside Chuuya. Kiyo was discreetly snatching glances at Chuuya, adjusting her hat to match his once more.
Across from Kiyo and Chuuya were two men who wore government uniforms. They were a part of the Special Ability sect.

"We will start off," one of them said, shifting documents on the table around. "Frankly, we don't have enough time to go into the depths of it, so I'll say it in short: The ability user Kiyo is ours."

"Oh? And what proof may you have?" Mori said before Chuuya could include his words. The government officials sighed, as if they had expected the battle. They flipped into their documents, "15 years ago Kiyo-san was born from two fugitives, whose names are currently unknown. They had only a momentary 'fling' you could say. At one year old, she was left on the streets with nothing but a baby's night sleeper and a name tag stating her first name as Kiyo. A civilian found her and turned her into the police, who in turn gave her to an orphanage. At seven years old, her ability became apparent. According to the reports, she had bumped into one of the parents looking to adopt a child. They had a weak ability to turn their eyes a different color. Kiyo-san immediately manifested this ability, which, apparently, severely creeped the to-be parents."

"The orphanage was alerted, and after discussing the matter, the government was notified. At the time, no one could figure out what made her ability activate, so it passed off as not existing. However, two years later the same thing occurred with an unknown ability, and it was decided that Kiyo-san did, in fact, posses an ability. It just took a while for them to create the right circumstances to activate it."

From there, Kiyo remembered. She remembered two years of poking and prodding, of answering questions, of this and that. All just a mush.

"All of this information is interesting, but what dies it have to do with my possession over kiyo-chan?" Mori said. Kiyo was a little unsettled at the prospect of being owned by a mafia boss, but he was also protecting her.

"The government holds legal rights to her. As a gifted individual, she is also called upon by the government to serve the military," the official said.

"If she was such an important asset to the government, then how do you suppose she ended up here?" Chuuya snarled, not holding back his hostility.

"She was smuggled. The method was rather... extravagant. A hole was busted through her foster home, and she was taken."

"That screams BULL," Elise shouted from across the room; she was playing obsessively with crayons. Mori just looked at the officials, as if her word was completely justified (To Mori, it is).

For some unknown time, the adults argued back and forth about Kiyo. The girl in question looked quite sullen and in thought. Suddenly she jumped up, leaning into Chuuya's shoulder for "protection." She wasn't scared, just great at acting. The room fell into silence, Mori looking like he had simply been waiting.

"Y'all are dimwits. My only loyalty is to the Boss. His word is absolute. You scum come at us with legal this and legal that, yet you forget one thing: the mafia is an 'illegal' organization. If you want my ability so bad, you'll have to drag me from this place."

By then, Kiyo had taken her hands off of Chuuya. She had spat the last sentence with the vigor one could only imitate after being around him for so long.
She's a little version of me, Chuuya thought smugly. The officials pushed up their black glasses and stood up. "As you wish, kiyo-san"

Next issue drops on the 18th:)☆