Silence

~Chapter 3~

Mitsuki sat at the kitchen table across from Masaru as they ate breakfast in an uncomfortable silence. She was incredibly worried about that boy she'd found in the woods last night; although, he seemed to be feeling a lot better that morning. "Are you sure we shouldn't report it to the police?" Masaru asked her quietly, a worried frown stretching across his face. Mitsuki shook her head as she glanced at her husband. "No. Not yet at least." She thought back to what he'd told her earlier through writing. Is he being abused or something? I can't imagine how he got all those wounds.

She figured there must've been some sort of accident or something, there was no way anyone would do that to a child. Right? "We can't just...keep him, though. Katsuki's already enough of a handful. Not to mention I don't think he'd take well to having to share a room." Masaru replied. "Especially if the kid has some sort of trauma." That was true. The white-haired teen was most likely not going to sit well with her son. But at the same time, she couldn't just send him off to a shelter. "But there's another thing I'm worried about," Masaru told her. Mitsuki took a bite of her steamed rice as he continued. "He refuses to speak. Doesn't that concern you too?"

Mitsuki blinked, a bit confused. "Well, I just figured he was mute. It's not common, but it's not too strange either." Masaru shook his head with a frustrated sigh. "I don't think it's mutism. His vocal cords aren't damaged, and he can still make sounds. But he refuses to say actual words." Really? Masaru had been the one tending to the boy for most of the night, so maybe he noticed something she hadn't. "That is pretty weird." Masaru went on, tapping his chopsticks against the side of his bowl. "I don't know much about it, but I've heard sometimes mutism can be a trauma response. So I just wonder..."

Mitsuki placed a hand on Masaru's shoulder with a soft smile. "Hey, it'll be alright honey. We'll figure it out." Even as she comforted her husband, Mitsuki felt something twist in her stomach. Poor kid. She tried to shake off her misgivings, letting out a quiet laugh as she attempted to lighten the mood. "Plus, I don't think it's a bad thing. At least he's quiet." She said, before raising her voice. "UNLIKE SOMEBODY." As if on cue, Katsuki shouted back at her from upstairs. "YOU BETTER NOT BE TALKING ABOUT ME YOU OLD HAG!" Mitsuki smiled as she saw Masaru let out a soft chuckle at their antics.

"THATS NO WAY TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTHER, BRAT!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Killua's PoV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"YOU BETTER NOT BE TALKING ABOUT ME YOU OLD HAG!"

Killua's eyes slowly opened at the shout from a room beside him. He let out a grumble as he slowly sat up. Masaru had told him about his son, and how he had a lot of 'personality'. It's better than waking up to Mike slaughtering intruders. He told himself. That happened occasionally back home, often late at night or early in the morning. It was more annoying than anything, awakening to bloodcurdling screams in the distance. Killua listened to Katsuki and his mother yell back and forth for a while with a disgruntled expression. I hope this isn't a normal occurrence. Killua winced a little as he shifted on the bed, his humerus aching. The pain's better than yesterday, but it still hurts.

Killua slowly got to his feet, carefully keeping his cast from bumping into anything. I should move on from here, and fast. He thought. There was no telling how quickly his family would track him down. There was no use in putting random civilians in danger. It's just three random people though, who cares if they die? Another part of Killua's brain whispered. It wouldn't really be my fault if they died anyway. It would be my parents or brothers. Killua hesitated with his hand on the doorknob, biting his lip. But Masaru is a kind man. For the five and a half hours he was in the room with Killua, that man had been nothing but kind to him. He didn't push Killua for information, he didn't demand an explanation. He just assisted Killua and tended to his needs.

It was so weird.

He was used to his butlers tending to his every whim, but the atmosphere was totally different. Masaru didn't treat him like a boss, or like he was in charge. But he also didn't treat Killua like a friend would, or like someone who just wanted him to hurry up and get fixed so he could explain what happened. It made Killua feel bad about possibly being the cause of his death. Just as he was about to twist open the door, the handle began to move. Killua took a step back as the door slowly creaked open, greeted by a very surprised Masaru. "Oh! You're up already? Did you need something?" Killua shook his head in response. Masaru smiled and reached into his pocket, fishing out a dingy purplish blue phone. "Well, I have a surprise for you."

Huh?

He gently took the phone from Masaru, closely examining it. It was pretty old and beat up, with a small crack in the bottom left corner. Masaru must've sensed his confusion because he quickly began to explain his gift. "It's nothing fancy, an old spare of mine. But since you can't speak I thought I'd gift it to you so you don't need to borrow someone else's phone or use paper." Killua glanced up at his smiling face, staring at it for a few moments. Something about the way this man looked at him made him feel strange. He couldn't quite place the feeling, but Killua didn't exactly hate it. Masaru gently ruffled his hair with a hand, a friendly grin stretching across his face. "Hey, me and Mitsuki are in the middle of breakfast. If you'd like to come join us?"

Maybe I will stay here for a while...

1013 words

To Be Continued...