Kindred Dyad

“My sister is probably home, aniki will definitely be there.” Yuuta said mildly agitated. Hariel only smiled. “I’m sure it will be fine, Yuuta-kun. You are on good terms with your brother now, right?" The grey-eyed boy sighed as he unlocked the front door. “That’s really the problem here.” He muttered under his breath. 

“Ah, Yuuta-chan, it is so good to see you at home.” A familiar honey-haired tensai was coming down the stairs. “Aniki... don’t call me that.” Hariel flushed, she had been watching him practice the last couple of weeks, somehow her attention was pulled towards him even if she came to watch Ryoma... he was also really pretty...  

“But how else am I supposed to show you that I love you... Yuuta-chan.” Fuji was intrigued to see that the current object of his attention, was also the girl who had helped heal the rift between him and his brother. This girl... was becoming more and more interesting. 

Hariel giggled, drawing the attention of the tensai to her. “Saa, hello mystery girl. Is she your friend, Yuuta-chan?” “This is Hariel-chan, I told you about her... and don’t call me that.” Sharp cerulean eyes were opened fully, completely focused on an emerald gaze. Hariel inhaled sharply, being at the end of undivided focus like that was... exhilarating. For a second, it was as if they were the only people in the world and he saw her for who she was... 

The older brother bowed deeply. “Thank you, so much.” Hariel frantically shook her head. “I didn’t do anything, why are you thanking me?” “Yuuta talked to me for the first time in months, of his own volition, he told me I have you to thank for that.” The sadistic genius smiled genuinely, an incredible sight with his clear blue gaze still bared to the world and boring into her own acid green orbs. 

Blushing a soft pink Hariel shook her head again. “He did that all by himself, Yuuta-kun is very kind, that had nothing to do with me.” She stated demurely, not feeling herself worthy of that praise. The honey-haired senior hummed. Not agreeing or disagreeing with her. Seeing that she was uncomfortable with his gratitude, he elected to let it go for now. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. 

“I’ve seen you looking at our practice at Seigaku, right?” Hariel bit her lip, not having known that he had noticed her. “You go to Seigaku?” Yuuta questioned, then he frowned at the way her face had lit up bright red. “N-No... I just came to watch niichan... and to draw.” Why did I say that... I should not have said that. Sharp blue eyes twinkled. “Did you sketch any of the regulars perhaps?” He asked softly. 

Now nearly tomato red, Hariel merely nodded shyly. “If you need reference material, I have photographs. I enjoy photography and I have a lot of pictures of the regulars.” Fuji smiled gently. Hariel nodded. “T-Thank you.” She stuttered. Being close to this particular boy flustered her. 

“You are very welcome.” Fuji smiled, eyes curving into gentle half-moons. “Yuuta, who is this pretty girl? Is she your girlfriend?” A soft melodious voice called, a young woman coming down the stairs to stand behind the tensai. Now it was Yuuta’s turn to flush a bright red. “No, we are just friends, I asked mom if she could have dinner with us, she said yes.”  

“Hello, I am Fuji Yumiko, Yuuta’s older sister.” The female who seemed to be about Ryoga’s age bowed her head politely. Hariel nodded her head as well. “Nice to meet you, Fuji-san. I am Echizen Hariel.” 

“Saa, I didn’t introduce myself yet did I, I’m Fuji Syusuke. You can call me SyusukeHariel-chan. There are many Fuji’s here after all.” Hariel nodded shyly. “Yumiko is fine, Hariel-chan. So, how did you meet my grumpy otouto?” 

“On a street court. He’s good at tennis. We practice together.” Cerulean sharpened in interest. Here was the mystery girl he had been observing for weeks, and she played tennis as well? Yumiko hummed. “So you play tennis Hariel-chan?” 

“Saa, neesan why don’t we all go to the living room before we ask Hariel-chan anymore questions.” Fuji gently guided the raven-haired girl towards their living room. “Would you like anything to drink?” He asked politely, smiling down at her softly. She shook her head nervously, for some reason just being near the older boy was making her nervous. 

“Yuuta, can you help me out for a moment, I’m sure Syusuke can entertain your friend for a moment.” Yumiko mentioned calmly from the hallway. Yuuta sighed, not sure it was a good idea to leave his friend alone with a strangely curious version of his older brother. “Hariel-chan, I’ll be right back. I have to help neesan with something.” He paused, sticking his head around the corner of the living room. 

“If aniki does anything strange, just yell, okay?” Hariel’s eyes widened. “Yuuta-chan, you wound me, of course I’ll take good care of your beloved friend.” The youngest sibling scowled. “Don’t call me that.” Hariel, watching the brothers interact, was reminded of her own older brothers. It was soothing, unconsciously she smiled gently.  

Curiously she looked around the living room, it looked a lot like the Echizen’s living room, with the exception of the many photographs that were displayed on the walls. Black and white and several coloured ones. Drawn towards them for reasons she couldn’t even really explain herself she wandered over to take a closer look. 

Her absolute favourite photograph was a black and white picture of a river, her river actually. Presumably taken by Fuji, he had captured the shimmering light and the dichotomy of utter desolation and peace of the early morning perfectly. It was like he took a picture of the feeling she chased every morning. 

“It’s beautiful...” She whispered, tracing a gentle finger over the glass, following the path of the river. A soft voice spoke up behind her, her eyes widening as she realised how close the senior was. “Most people don’t like that photo. They say it makes them feel... alone and uncomfortable.” 

Hariel spun around, looking up into the wide-open blue eyes which pinned her in place. “It feels like that feeling you get when you wake up before the sunrise, with the first light only just peeking over the horizon it feels like there is absolutely nobody in the world. Desolate... but peaceful.” 

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. She had explained perfectly what he had wanted to capture. “You are a very interesting girl, aren’t you... Hariel-chan.” He stated softly, almost intimately as he very gently brushed a finger over her cheek. “You don’t see the world the same way as most people do.” 

“Ah... Fuji-san, you made that photograph didn’t you?” He nodded. “It doesn’t make you feel depressed at all.” She stated, with certainty. He smiled, because she was right.  

“You don’t need to call me by my last name, I’d like to get to know you much better... so call me by my name.” She flushed, it felt strangely intimidate to call him by his first name. “S-Syusuke-san...” She whispered, trying it out.  

“Will you model for me sometime, Hariel-chan?” “M-Me?” She squeaked shyly, unsure why he would even want to immortalize her at all. “You are beautiful and I want to capture that.” Hariel turned bright red, nobody ever called her beautiful so sincerely before. 

“Aniki... what are you doing?” A grumbling voice came from the door, Yuuta was a little worried at the sight which greeted him in the living room. Hariel was backed up against the wall with her face bright red, with his brother leaning closer to her, looking at her with an intense gaze. 

“Saa, Yuuta-chan. I was asking Hariel-chan to model for me.” Yuuta’s eyebrow rose. “Why is she blushing?” “I suppose not nearly enough people have told her that she’s very beautiful before.” Fuji answered charmingly. 

Feeling like she was fire-engine red and quite unable to stop that, she shyly looked away from the intense blue eyes which had never left her face. 

“Aniki... don’t tease my friend.” Yuuta sighed, it was one thing for his brother to tease him but he wasn’t sure Hariel would be okay. She had been bullied horrifically and even if the older Fuji wasn’t malicious at all it might still hurt her feelings. 

The tensai shook his head, backing up slightly to let the still mute girl gather herself. “I’m not, Yuuta-chan. I was being completely sincere.” Yuuta looked surprised, it was unlike him to admit something so candidly. 

Fuji was still a genius though and no matter how much he liked to tease people he usually knew where the line was down to the millimetre. He had noticed she was shy and probably insecure in her looks. He thought she really was beautiful with long raven hair shining blue in the sun and big emerald eyes with a sort of lingering sadness. He had no problem admitting that, since the last thing he wanted was to destroy the confidence of the girl who had helped mend the rift between him and his otouto. 

If anything, he wanted to tease her to help her gain confidence. Her flustered reactions were really cute. 

Yumiko entered the living room as well, speaking up kindly. “Okaa-san is running late, so we are going to have dinner by ourselves. She apologizes for being unable to receive you, Hariel-chan.” The still slightly flushed girl shook her head. “I-It’s no problem at all, it was my fault for coming over spontaneously.” 

Yuuta frowned, on the courts she was confident and cool. Not even his aniki should have been able to fluster her this much. Why did she have such a hard time with this setting? She seemed a lot less sure of herself and she was quick to apologize even when this situation had not been her fault at all. 

“If anything, that’s on me.” He grumbled. “Relax, Hariel-chan. No matter how much they both tease, and don’t let her sweet look fool you, neesan is just as bad as aniki, they won’t bite or anything.” Yuuta said, trying to calm down his strangely anxious friend. 

“S-Sorry, I’ve just never really been over at a friend’s house before.” The raven mumbled at her sock clad feet. “Niichan was the only friend I ever saw outside of school and I basically lived with them already even before they adopted me. I’m just nervous I guess.” She admitted softly, ashamed. 

The oldest Fuji sibling frowned, it was no fun to tease somebody who was genuinely afraid. “It is not so terribly different from being anywhere else with friends." Yumiko said softly. “As long as you are polite, you can’t really do anything wrong and you’ve been a perfect house guest so far." 

Hariel hummed awkwardly, not sure what to say yet thankful for the kind words. Yumiko, thinking back on her psychology classes and the anxious reactions of their guest started outlining the evening. “I am going to cook dinner now, Yuuta and Syusuke will stay here with you. One of them will set the table and then we will all have dinner. The dishes will be done by whomever didn’t help out yet. You can help if you want to, but as a guest you aren’t really expected to help."  

Hariel looked up at her with relieved green eyes. “So now you know what is going to happen, you don’t have to worry about it anymore, okay?" Yumiko asked, setting a gentle hand on the girl’s slender shoulder. Hariel smiled at her brightly. “O-Okay, Yumiko-san. Thank you for explaining." The older female’s face softened. “No problem Hariel-chan, teasing people is fun, but not if you are scared. So just ask one of us if you don’t know what to do." 

Hariel nodded, thankful. Fuji had wandered over to the couch, sitting down close to where the small girl was standing. “Come sit, Hariel-chan. I want to know more about how you met Yuuta-chan, please?" Yumiko smiled as she went to make dinner. It was unlike her brothers to genuinely take to someone, especially Syusuke. 

At first and even a second or third glance it was generally expected that the tensai had a lot of friends, while his grumpy otouto was seemingly a loner. In reality though, it was much the opposite. Syusuke had only a few friends, while Yuuta had many and made friends easily. 

Hariel delicately settled on the couch besides the honey-haired teen. Yuuta sighed, he wasn’t especially ashamed of losing to her, since she was a strong tennis player, but this story would no doubt entertain his aniki. Who would then tease him... again. 

The grey-eyed Fuji sat down in the armchair opposite the two teens. “Aniki, there is really no need to ask. We just played tennis, that’s all." Hariel hid a soft grin, apparently he didn’t want his brother to know about his bratty behaviour. She had long since forgiven him, but kicking his ass against all his preconceptions had been fairly satisfying. 

Yuuta nearly groaned when he saw Fuji zero in on Hariel’s smile. The older teen turned towards her, knee subtly resting against her own leg because of the way he faced towards her now. 

Hariel tried to ignore the heat seeping into her through the single point of contact between them. Her magic was swirling around him curiously. It felt warm, as if something about the boy made her magic... happy? Her magic had never heated up before for another person...  

“If Yuuta-chan doesn’t want you to tell me, that just makes me more curious." The blue-eyed menace pointed out... ‘innocently'. Hariel almost smirked at that, she could see why Yuuta had complained about his brother now. With his innocent face he could get away with a lot, and he obviously used that ruthlessly to tease people. Come to think of it, he was a lot like Seiichi-senpai. 

“He actually challenged me to a tennis match to get me to leave the court." Hariel spoke up, watching in delight as Yuuta flushed red. “She won, in case you were wondering. This tiny girl with her hand in a cast looking like the wind could blow her away and she kicks my ass 6 games to 3." He grumbled, he still thought that his estimation of her hadn’t been that strange. In general, tiny girls did not kick ass on tennis courts. 

“Saa, and that without even using your dominant hand, Hariel-chan. Interesting..." The green-eyed girl blushed. “I am mostly ambidextrous though." She objected, not wanting to make it look like she hadn’t been using her full strength to beat the youngest Fuji. 

“We had a bet, I would leave the court if he won, but if I won he had to tell me why he was so angry." She shrugged, immersed in her memories. “I could tell that he was good at tennis." She nodded at Yuuta. “You really love tennis, so I wondered why you had anger tainting that on the court." 

Yuuta sighed, turning serious for a moment. “I’ll never forget what you said, because it is true." He said softly, smiling at the tiny girl. Then he looked at his aniki. “You are your own person and that should be enough. If people don’t already acknowledge that from the start, isn’t it them who aren’t good enough?" 

The grey-eyed boy shrugged. “She’s right, I let their opinions get to me, but they don’t matter. You do." He nodded towards the two teens across from him. 

“How would they even overlook you for your aniki anyway?" Hariel asked. “You are taller, aren’t you..." Yuuta just stared at her for a full minute, and then he burst out laughing. “T-That’s way too literal, Hariel-chan." Fuji smiled, happy to see his brother laughing about a time in his life which had hurt him so much. 

“Yuuta, come help me set the table." Yumiko’s gentle voice called from the kitchen. Wondering absently why his sister seemed determined to leave Hariel with his aniki, he got up to go to the kitchen. 

Fuji opened his eyes completely. Laser-focussed blue orbs roaming her face. “Do you have any other hobbies, Hariel-chan? Besides tennis and drawing?" He wanted to know more about her, to... satisfy his curiosity. Hariel glanced away shyly. “I like to garden, and I run a lot. The river in your photograph, I always run along that river in the mornings." Fuji hummed, pleased that she seemed to be relaxing a little bit. 

“I collect cacti. If you want, I can show them to you sometime. Do you take care of the garden at home?" She nodded. “I have flowers and plants in my room, but I also take care of the garden, yes. I don’t think anybody else has a green thumb in the family." She looked at him curiously. “Are cacti hard to take care of?" 

He shook his head, eyes closing and mouth curving up in a gentle smile. “Not particularly, some of the plants I own can be finicky, but I don’t mind." 

“Syusuke-san... do you like going to Seigaku?" She asked timidly. She had been thinking about going to school lately. She liked being tutored by Yukimura, but she missed Ryoma and she felt like maybe she was ready now in a way she hadn’t been months ago. Her nightmares had diminished and her adoption had soothed a lot of her fears. 

“Saa... it is a good school. The educational level is high." He answered generally. “Are you considering going to Seigaku?" He asked curiously, radiating a soothing calmness. 

Hariel, her magic singing to her of safety and calm and good, nodded. She leaned back against the couch, tension finally leaving her frame. “I am." She sighed, subconsciously tracing her scars through the fabric of her shirt and her cast. “I just... didn’t have a good experience the last time I went to school." She admitted softly. 

Blue eyes sharpened angrily. A very gentle hand winding around the cast on her arm. “This was done to you at your old school?" She smiled wanly, not minding his gentle grip on her still weakened limb though she normally had difficulty with touch.  

She was probably suffering from skin hunger because of her cold upbringing yet she was also withdrawn and cagy. She clung to the people she liked and trusted but shied away fiercely from anyone else. Her magic sang though and so she didn’t feel the usual alarm at having a mostly unknown person so close. 

It felt like she knew him, and he was safe... 

“They broke more than just my wrist..." She confessed lowly, reassured by her magic, as if it was showing her that she could trust him completely. A very gentle hand brushed away the stray tear she hadn’t even noticed. Fuji, who had been fascinated by the mystery she represented and who had quickly started becoming attached and enthralled in equal measures, when he did finally meet her, was angry, furious even that anybody would do this.  

She shoved her sleeve up, showing him the bloody red spirals rising above her cast. “So that, that’s why I’m afraid of going back to school." She bit her lip harshly. “I know I’m being a coward. I just can’t help it." 

A tender hand traced the lines softly, while Fuji frowned gently. “You are not a coward. You’re thinking about going to school again, if anything you are brave." He sighed softly. “Seigaku, it has a fairly stringent anti-bullying policy but no school is perfect. Bullies exist everywhere."  

His eyes opened, and she didn’t feel threatened, even though his gaze was sharp enough to cut and vaguely sadistic. “If you do end up going, I will..." He should be frightening, but all she really felt seeing his expression was safe. “Ensure that you are treated well." 

“Syusuke, Hariel-chan, dinner is ready." A female voice drifted over to the two teens who were locked in an intense stare. Hariel flushed, suddenly aware of how close they were, his hand still lingering on her scars and their knees touching.  

Shoving her sleeve down, she nearly fled from the room, blushing bright red. Fuji chuckled softly, she really was too cute. Then his smile widened when she turned around again. “S-Syusuke-san... where is the dinner table?" 

Smiling down at her flushed face, he gently stirred her towards the correct door. 

Yuuta awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Uhm, do you want to watch a movie?" He asked Hariel, who was also not quite sure what to do now. 

When he had friends over, it was usually at the St. Rudolph dormitory and they were always guys. Somehow it felt too awkward to invite her up to his room. Even if he didn’t like her like that. He was suddenly very much aware that Hariel was still a girl. A tomboy obsessed with tennis, who never dressed like a girl... but female still. 

They usually just played tennis together, or got ice-cream. Or they went for a snack, but this was new terrain. 

“Can I join you two?" Fuji’s soft voice broke the tension. Hariel and Yuuta, who had been standing awkwardly in the living room, were grateful. They got along well, but this new setting was making it hard to find their usual easy flow. 

Yuuta looked at Hariel to make sure she was alright with that. Spotting his questioning gaze, she nodded. “Sure, aniki."  

They watched the movie in silence, Yuuta once more on one of the chairs and Fuji and Hariel once again sharing the couch. How she had ended up sitting next to the tensai again, she didn’t quite know. 

She flushed in the dark, looking at his profile. He seemed focussed on the movie. He turned slightly, seeing her looking at him. He smiled gently, causing her to look away quickly, cheeks coloured red.  

Almost two hours later, Yuuta had fallen asleep. Hariel didn’t quite know what to do. She didn’t want to wake him, because he seemed to be peacefully sleeping, but she also didn’t know if she could just go home now. That would be rude, wouldn’t it? 

Fuji stood up silently, wide open cerulean eyes were looking at her calmly as he held out his hand. She set her smaller hand in his, his warm fingers curling around her palm as he pulled her up easily. Still holding on to her hand, he pulled her away from the living room. 

Fuji smiled down at the petite girl, still holding on to her hand. Despite her red cheeks she’d made no move to make him let go. “Hariel-chan... I have something I want to give to you. I need to print it though, come up to my room for a bit?" She nodded, confused, curiosity swimming in deep green depths. 

Opening the door to his room, he started up his computer. “Come on in, you can sit down if you’d like. This won’t take very long." Hariel stepped further into his room calmly, utterly unaware of the social connotations. Cacti were planted in tiny pots, covering his window sill and part of his desk.  

There was a bed, a wardrobe and a desk. All in fairly light wood. His room was done in soft pastel tones. Blues and greens and greys. His wall was covered in more photographs.    

 “You are a very good at capturing the essence of moments." She eventually said quietly. “These are beautiful." 

Fuji smiled at her, watching her take in his room curiously. “Thank you." It was strange how quickly he had taken to her, but she was so fascinatingly different. 

He quickly printed out another copy of the photograph which had fascinated her downstairs. Scribbling a few words on the back, he put it into an envelope. “Saa, it’s a copy of the river photograph. If you’d like, you can keep that." He stated softly as he held out the envelope. 

Hariel smiled, taking the white paper package. “Thank you." His eyes softened. “No problem." 

A soft ping echoed through the room. Hariel hummed, pulling out her phone. She read the text message quickly. “Ah, niisan is asking when I’m coming home." “I can take you home now." She hummed. “Are you sure? I don’t want to trouble you." He nodded. “It is no problem at all Hariel-chan." She frowned. “I can go by myself, I know the way, I really don’t want to take up anymore of your time." 

He stepped closer, softly tilting her chin up. “You are not taking my time, I am choosing to spend it with you, if you’d like." Green eyes widened as a flush crawled up her cheeks again. “O-Okay." She stuttered. 

She texted back that she was going home right now, followed the boy down the stairs and then put her new gift into her bag for safekeeping. 

She smiled as she watched Yuuta sleeping peacefully. Yumiko tucked a blanket around the sleeping teenager, before following Hariel and Fuji out of the house. “It was nice to meet you, Hariel-chan." Yumiko said kindly. Hariel smiled up at the oldest Fuji sibling. “It was nice to meet you too." 

Fuji motioned for Hariel to hop on the back of his bike. She waved at Yumiko’s shrinking silhouette, one hand clenched in the back of his jacket. Seeing the stars twinkling down at her she sighed. Today had been somewhat stressful, but also interesting. The tensai had seemed so unapproachable at school, but now she was getting to know him. She’d been shocked to see him coming down the stairs, clad in casual clothing. 

He wasn’t as nice as he seemed, appearing so gentle and soft, and instead teasing people ruthlessly. But he never crossed the line, always taking care that it remained teasing, embarrassing at most but never genuinely hurtful. She had seen how he had watched Yuuta, embarrassing him mercilessly but never hurting him.  

She leaned her forehead against his back, soaking in the heat and enjoying the way her magic so clearly liked him. 

All too soon he was dropping her off at home. “It was lovely to officially meet you, Hariel-chan. Say hello to Echizen for me, won’t you?" He asked, well aware that Ryoma would be baffled. She nodded in mild confusion. 

“It was nice to meet you too, Syusuke-san." She managed to address him without stuttering this time, though her cheeks still pinked a tiny bit. “Goodnight." He stated softly, tenderly swiping her hair away from her face, delicate fingers stroking the shell of her ear as he made sure that her hair would temporarily behave. 

She swallowed somewhat nervously. Wanting to spend more time with him, her green eyes drawn towards him consistently. She didn’t know why... she just, really really liked his attention. It made something in her stomach squirm happily. “G-Goodnight..." She whispered.  

Hariel opened the door, blinking confused as she was confronted with her whole family sitting in the living room. Ryoma and Ryoga were playing a video game against each other, while Najirou and Rinko were curled up together, Rinko reading and Nanjirou contently dozing cuddled together with his wife. 

“I’m home." She said softly, happy to be able to say the words. A joy she would never get tired off. “Ryoma-nii, Syusuke-san said hello." She frowned minutely. “Though I don’t know why, he’ll see you tomorrow at tennis practice." 

“... you were with Fuji-senpai?" Ryoma asked. Hariel nodded. “He brought me home. I was visiting Yuuta-kun's family. Apparently, his full name is Fuji Yuuta. Syusuke-san is his aniki."  

“If you were visiting Yuuta, how come that sadistic tensai was the one who brought you home? And why do you call him by his first name?" Ryoma asked, twitching a little at the thought of that honey-haired devil with his baby sister. Despite being only a few months older, he had taken to the role of older brother enthusiastically. 

“Yuuta-kun fell asleep during the movie." She said brightly. Then she flushed, shyly looking away. “He... told me that I could call him by his first name." 

Then she turned towards Rinko. Leaving the males spluttering. “Rinko-san, c-can I have a picture frame? On my wall?" She asked softly. She still had a hard time showing her desires and asking for things so Rinko nodded immediately. “Of course sweetheart. I think there might be a few old frames in the attic. We can look them up tomorrow."  

Then she blinked. “Why do you want a frame?" She asked curiously. Hariel had so far not wanted anything on her walls, or at least hadn’t admitted to wanting anything. She smiled softly. “I’ve been given a gift. It’s a photograph." She said softly. 

“Who is this Fuji person, the older one who dropped you off, and for that matter the younger one who invited you home as well? Are they treating you alright, they’re not flirting with you, right?" Ryoga asked suspiciously. He bemoaned his fate silently, that navy-haired devil in the hospital was bad enough, being so close with his baby sister. 

“I don’t know Yuuta. Fuji-senpai is a smiling menace." Ryoma stated shortly, grumpily. He had missed Hariel this evening and lately in general. 

“Ah, the Fuji family is really kind. Yumiko-san cooked a really nice dinner and Yuuta-kun was being really nice to invite me." She bit her lip softly. “I’ve never really been invited anywhere but here..." 

Ryoma sighed, he knew how she’d been treated in England, an outcast from the start at school and in the neighbourhood thanks to the Dursley’s lies. He couldn’t begrudge her other friends, even if he did miss being her sole companion. 

“I’m glad you had a good time today." Rinko said, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead. “It’s good that you’re making friends." 

She nodded happily. Yuuta didn’t have any connection to the Wizarding World and had become her friend solely because he seemed to like spending time with her. For a girl who had only been half a person and more of an ideal to most people in the Wizarding World that was worth so much... With Ron especially there had always been that niggling doubt. Did he see Hariel, or Hariel Potter, Girl-Who-Lived? 

“That’s right, bishoujo, I almost forgot. Some magic person showed up. Since you are a magical citizen of Japan now they want to ensure your education continues." Hariel paled, swallowing against the fear crawling up her spine. Magic was amazing, a calming heat spooling in her core, something which granted her a sense of safety enabling her to continue her life despite the trauma. 

But the wizarding world felt like a threat. A world in which she had almost died so many times already. A place where she wasn’t even a person, but an idea.  

Nanjirou stood up, plucking her up to cuddle her petite frame closer. “Shh Hariel. You’ll be okay, they even told us that home schooling on the side was an option if you want to go to a normal school." 

She sighed, burying her head into his warm shoulder. “Do I have to meet with the representative?" She whispered in a tiny voice. Rinko stepped up to them, calmly rubbing her back. “Yes, but we will be there, and we won’t allow anything to happen to you." She stated calmly. Tears slowly tracked down her cheeks. She knew this was necessary, that her magic needed to be trained, but meeting a wizard or witch scared her. 

Fear was skittering up her spine at the idea of wixen. She knew that they were just people. The Dursley’s had been terrible as well and they were evidently not magical. But the magical world was the place where all of her nightmares were created.  

It had always been witches and wizards who had harmed her the most. Hogwarts had trained it into her that wixen were callously uncaring because she wasn’t a person to them. Nobody in that fucking castle had even tried to protect her from harassment and nobody except Hermione and Luna had cared when she’d been attacked. Magicals had been the ones who murdered Hedwig... and she still missed her beloved owl so fucking much. 

“It’ll be okay bishoujo." Nanjirou said softly, his bass voice rumbling reassuringly through her. Hariel tried to stop crying, but somehow the tears just wouldn’t stop. Memories of cruel voices and pain lancing up her arm were drifting up from the depths of her mind. Nightmares flashing behind her eyes even though she was wide awake. She could almost feel the phantom sensation of her ribs creak, creak, creaking and breaking. 

“Ugh." She eventually said, a headache blooming behind her eyes. “I never used to cry. Sorry... for being such a baby lately." She mumbled into his shoulder. Rinko sat down again, holding her arms out to take the girl into her arms.  

“Hariel... love, it is good that you can cry now. We cry so that others know we need help, or that we’re just not feeling well." She gently smoothed her hair away from her face. “I only worry when you try to hide your pain and do everything yourself." 

Ryoga took a seat next to them, gently grasping her hand. “Yeah, chibi-chan. How else would we know when to look out for you?" She almost started crying all over again, when Ryoma poked her side, resulting in a startled squeak which was adorable.  

“Ri-chan, I love you, a lot. But I really didn’t like it when you used to hide everything. I was always worried that something bad happened to you. When you were still having so many nightmares, I worried that you’d overwork yourself."  

He sighed, looking much too serious for a fourteen-year-old. “I’ll never understand what your life was like before you became an Echizen, because kaa-san and oyaji have always been here for me, but I hope that you will come to understand what being an Echizen means." 

Nanjirou calmly spoke up, ruffling Ryoma’s hair softly. “We know you’ve never had adults to rely on, and we’re proud of how independent you are. Just... try to rely on us, okay? We’re here for all of you, and we want to help." 

Hariel nodded tearfully, a little ashamed, but also happy and relieved. It was a little bit of an emotional rollercoaster. When Rinko saw her yawn, she was quickly bundled of to bed.  

Perching on the edge of her bed, Rinko calmly brushed her hair out in long soothing strokes. Hariel blinked sleepily. As her adoptive mother slowly braided her hair, she felt warm and safe. When Rinko finally closed the door behind her, sleep claimed her and her dreams were, for once, warm.