The Truth Behind His Smile

The Threat

"...I'm just heading back to my room." Tsurugi told him flatly. He could hear the slight, rushed panic in his tone. He meant to walk pass him, but with the first step, Tenma's father took another to intercept him.

The man stared down at him, reading him fast like he was a simple children's book. "...Tsurugi, right?" He said. The surprise and confusion on his face was too obvious for the man. He could practically hear all the internal questions running through his mind. 'How?' was undoubtedly the prevailing one.

"I recognized your voice," He answered, deciding to skip over the tiresome predictable question. "You were there, weren't you?"

Many things scared Tsurugi if he could be completely honest. In joining Fifth Sector, however, he learned to face all of it head on. At the end of it, his fears either ceased or turned into indifference. His fear of the darkness, for instance, vanished through the regular lonely nights and any fear he had for pain he learned to disregard and ignore thanks to the routinely hellish training he forced himself to endure. Fear had become something he had conquered; that was what he had believed up until now.

For the first time in years, he was scared. Scared to give a simple answer. Scared for what it might mean to the horrid man in front of him. Scared at what he might do if knew as much as he did.

"Never mind, I suppose it doesn't matter." He said.

Now that, Tsurugi couldn't ignore - no matter how scared he was.

"Doesn't matter? How could Tenma not matter? Oh, right, he's not your kid, is he?" Tsurugi snapped at him, keeping down any unease when he failed to see Tenma's father stir.

"If you think someone will hear you, you're wrong," He told to him in slight annoyance over the stupidity he saw in the boy's actions. "Your classmates are ways down the corridor and most of the rooms are blocked behind thick walls and doors. And if someone did hear, it would be the staff and they're used to childish tantrums."

Tsurugi sincerely doubted that it was just tantrums that they were used to.

"You've also misunderstood something. Tenma is my child whether I like it or not." He sighed with clear annoyance.

"What? But, you said-"

"Do not interrupt me." The man threatened Tsurugi, not with a yell or shout, but in a low, hushed but furious voice. "That was simply a reminder of what he is to me. But under legal law, he is still my child."

There was no warmth when he said 'child.' Tsurugi had never heard the word said in such a way before. He glared back at the man in disgust and contempt and a wish that he had brought a soccer ball with him.

"What does the law matter to you anyway? I'm pretty sure what you're doing is against it."

"You mean sending Tenma away to live happily with his relative?" He asked. Initially, he was met with an irritated glare from Tsurugi, but soon it faded along with the blood under his skin. Tsurugi understood what he had been saying. "If that is against the law, maybe it would be good for him to return. The staff do miss him and I can't stand my own child being bullied at his school."

"Bullied?! Tenma's happy in Raimon!" Tsurugi shouted at him.

"Even when his teammates speak so low of him? When his so-called 'friends' hate him?" The man pointed out.

Tsurugi looked at him, clearly appalled. "Wha-We don't hate him!"

"Don't lie to me, kid. I've heard of what you did when you first met him," he said.

Tsurugi was nonplussed, he couldn't think of a way to say something back. He didn't want to admit it, but that man was actually right. He couldn't deny that he absolutely despised Tenma when they first met. And the fact that Shindou and the other seniors were pretty annoyed by him back then didn't actually help.