Healed By Love

Cherry Blossom/ Kiku-Part 1

"Go ahead und choose, Kylie." She dug her little hands (and body) deep into the bag. Near the bottom. And she pulled out a . . . stick . . . Oh, but it had a pretty pink flower at the end of it! The color was beautiful. She only ever saw such a thing by looking through a dirt-stained window in the shop, out at the people walking by. Or maybe on the TV. The same black-haired man as before grew wide-eyed. The blonde man holding the bag looked around. "Vho put zhis in zhe bag?" "U-uh," The other man, Kiku, said. "It's mine. Cherry blossom is mine. I'm ah, Kiku Honda. You may call me Kiku, little one." "Vell zhen," The same blonde said after a moment, "Everyone, take your zhings. Und ve meet again in France in two months." "So long, suckers!" A girly-looking man grinned and flipped his hair. "See you all there!" As everyone stood and began to leave, a few remained. Kiku came around to the other side of the table, and as he passed Ludwig the blonde patted his back with a smile. Kiku smiled back, albeit less cheerfully, and watched Kylie as Arthur took his handkerchief back. "Goodbye, poppet. I'll visit sometime, alright?" "Awlrwight," her voice shook, and she watched him leave as Kiku Honda approached her. "B-bwye-bwye…" "See ya later, kiddo!" Alfred exclaimed beside her, and turned to the Japanese man approaching. "I'll come and visit often, but if you two need a place to stay tonight or tomorrow Mattie and I can totally share my house! It's pretty big! We're just spending the week there for bro time, but you two can totally come! We have video games, computer games, horror games, food games, Five Nights at Freddy's games, Japanese games-" "Thank you, Alfred-san," Kiku bowed slightly, and stopped on the other side of her. Had he let Alfred go on it would be the end of the day before they could get away. "But I am scheduled on an early flight for tomorrow back to Japan, I hope to return to Hayakawa-cho, Yamanashi for relaxation purposes. Maybe we can meet some other time." He bowed again. Alfred blinked, his smile lowering slightly. "Is there, like, room for Kylie on the plane, or did you take a private jet out here again?" "No, I-I took first class in the commercial airline with the others, but…" He looked at the pitiful and sick child, and awkwardly picked her up. "I am scheduling myself a nature getaway in Hayakawa-cho, and now it seems almost as if the timing was perfect..." "Heh, yeah," Alfred’s smile went back up. "Perfect for you two to chill, right? That village was on the top twenty-five list for—" "Yes," Kiku interrupted. "Do you mind, Alfred-san? Kylie-chan is ill, wet, and cold. I wish to get her to where she belongs before she gets any worse." "Huh? Oh, yeah." The American smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry. Well, see you guys around. Right?" "…Hai…" She didn't like how nervous Kiku's voice sounded, but didn’t really care. He was warm. His chest was as warm as Arthur's was. In the back of her mind though, through the sudden wave of fatigue that hit once everyone said goodbye to her and this man held her in his hands…Was Alfred's nervous smile he shot back at the two as he walked away.…This wasn't right. On the ride in his car Kiku Honda was silent, up until about an hour had passed. And then he pulled into a very familiar neighborhood. "Mwistwer H-Hwondwa? Whwere're w-we gwoin' to?" she asked. "I'm…We're…" He bit his lip, feeling uncomfortable. "Wh-Whwere awre we gwoing?" she repeated. "We are…Uh…" Japan sighed. "Mwistwer Hwondwa?" Her voice had a sharp, desperate edge to it as he pulled into the parking space in front of The Shop. "I'm…" He had thought this would be easier. Jesus, sharpen up! It would be wrong to just keep her away from a man who kept her, raised her! He sat up straight. "You…You can't run away from your problems. Your Caretaker loves you, you just do not know with the way he expresses it like the way he does. But you are sick because you ran away, in those clothes in winter time, without anything else. Blossom, that was not very smart." She was now crying, and let out a terrified whimper. She had been right. He had taken her back. And hell if she wasn't going right back to her alley. Immediately, Kiku's confidence that he was making the right decision faltered at this new sound. Japan had lived for a few millennia, fought in countless battles and waged wars, traveled the world, fought enemies, double-crossed allies, killed and murdered so many…And couldn't stand the sight or sound of a child crying. Especially when he was the reason. "I just…" Sweat was on Japan’s brow. Why? WHY did he need to feel so guilty? WHY did she need to act so afraid? "I just want to see your "home". I just want…to see your life." He climbed out of the seat. Yes. He could check things out for now, decide later whether to take her to the authorities or not. "You said the shopkeeper does not come back here until it is late. So…I would like to see your home that he provides. Kylie, you are clearly unhealthy and hurt. You ran away for a reason. But you don't have any relatives that you can go to in here?" She shook her head, unable to stop crying despite these words. "No friends? Another employee?" "W-whwat's thwat?" she blubbered out, wiping her eyes. Awkward and uncomfortable, Kiku held her closer to his chest. Alright. There was domestic abuse at play here. She was obviously terrified of coming back, and he was really beginning to regret taking her back here. He made a split-second decision then. "People aside from parents that look after you…Now, Kylie, I am not giving you back to the shopkeeper. Show me your home. What time does he come back here? Is there a spare key?" she sniffled, nodding. "A-a-awftwer d-dwark, a-awnd…" her tiny finger pointed to the hanging potted plant beside the door. Kiku looked in the pot, and pulled out a key from under several leaves. "Clever," He muttered, and used it to unlock the door. After dark? Well, it was barely into the afternoon. The two had plenty of time to just look around and leave. He unlocked the door, and stepped inside. "Now then Kylie. Show me your home." "Awre y-ywou gwonna twa-ake me bwa-ah…" she couldn't even finish the sentence, her throat had closed up. Japan wiped her wet cheeks with a thumb as his heart broke. "N-no, Kylie-chan. No I will not." Nothing violent happened, which was good. Kiku followed the toddler's directions in silence as she showed him the room, where the other Tinies were. When the door unlocked, they all become crowded into one corner of the cages, only to calm somewhat upon seeing it wasn't the shopkeeper, and that Kylie was with the new human. Pointed to the back room where "Shwop mwan twakes swick awnd injwured Twinies." She had stuttered out the words horribly though, and he knew that her illness was going to get worse. All that it took was one glance in the entire room for Kiku to turn around with a fist over his mouth, mulling the situation over. These Tinies would be killed if they stayed in this place. Not just hurt or beaten, no, he would be the cause of their deaths, not just Kylie's, if he made her stay here. Now, the authorities were another thing: Not only did most of the world (the countries from the World Meeting) know about her, but they were all willing to take her home. If he took her to the police to be re-homed, then she would go through systems of foster homes and families that wouldn't give her the proper attention like one of the nations would. Like he would. Kiku had made his decision, and cradled Kylie tenderly, and started unlocking the cages. "I have seen enough. First, I'm taking the rest of you to a safer place, then Kylie, you and I are going to the hotel, where I will let you get cleaned up. I'll go out to buy you clothes and dinner, and you can stay with me in Japan for as long as you nee—" His face flushed red when she gasped and leaned up to kiss him with little blue lips, and the other Tinies hugged him...She hadn't let go of his chest since he came back with Japanese take-out food and necessities. Kylie had done an excellent job of showering and bathing herself, and did as he told by using an extra shirt to cover herself with as she waited for him to come back. Kiku would have called in Heracles or Sadik, but both had told him they had plans to "shop" together for unknown reasons. He was pretty sure that they were planning a visit to this hotel room tomorrow to give Kylie gifts in a competition to see who she likes better, like most things that they do around Japan. "Here," He said, and placed the empty containers in the waste bin. They had both been starving, her especially. "Let's go to bed now, hai?" He ran his fingers through her hair, and pulled them back to see dirt. "…Let's go back to the bath now, hai?" She nodded silently, and a sheepish smile made its way up before the child went back to her normal expression. Kiku felt bad that it was fear, and he knew exactly why she was afraid, but it couldn’t be helped. He had taken her back to the house she had run away from, and even if he made sure to leave no trace of their visit, aside from the now removed Tinies (he staged it to look like they had escaped on their own) he couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen. But, they were safe in a hotel. And tomorrow, the duo would travel to one of his most beautiful and quiet villages to help her get better. "Um," He blushed slightly at the realization that he would have to bathe a small child. But, there was no possible way that he would let her sleep with the dirt of the street on her body—because (Y/n) was starting a new life with him. And she deserved to be clean as they both went in together. "Once more, let us do this again." They bathed. She first with his awkward help, and then he did as she fell asleep wrapped in the electric heating blanket that he turned up to the highest setting. And when Kiku came back out of the shower, and Kylie was asleep in her warmth and fluffy pajamas (thankfully it was just her hair that had been dirty so they were okay), he kissed the top of her head before going to sleep in the other bed. Alright. He could do this. 'I can do this.'