Chapter Text
Hana Mitaka was a woman with wants and needs. She was the mother of a single daughter she named Asa, and the wife of a man called Okoto, the very man in which she adopted the surname from.
She was in her late thirties now, Asa was eight years old, turning nine in just a couple of weeks. She worked as a clerical receptionist in the governments administrative sector. For eight to ten hours a day, she slaved away at the front desk. Not able to take any breaks, not because she wasn't allowed to take breaks, but because all of her co-workers couldn't be trusted to do as good of a job as she could at receiving and guiding people along to the next station. Her face was the first face every person saw when they entered the building, and more often than not she was also the last person they would see before when they made their exit.
Hana did not memorize the faces of the people she worked with, and so she did not see any face when it was time for her to leave the building. No face except for her boss, of course. Her boss liked her. She was quiet, efficient, and took the initiative when required. She never talked back, never disobeyed, and never complained. She understood her lot in life very well: As one of the many millions upon millions of cogs that kept society going.
Her husband, though?
Not quite.
Okoto was a failure of a man. She had once loved him dearly, but ever since his leg injury he changed for the worse. He stopped working, and refuses to find a new job even though he had recovered a long time ago. He chose to survive on the meager welfare that he was receiving when he was injured, and it wasn't nearly enough to take care of the household and their daughter. He was hardly ever a father for their child either. She was the one that took Asa to school, she was the one who picked up Asa from school, she was the one who cooked, cleaned, and maintained the household. She was the one who had to sell her car in order to make ends meet. She was the one who did everything.
Not to mention, she was pretty sure he had been cheating on her for the last couple of weeks. She had found strands of colored hair that did not match hers or their daughters.
She had foolishly hoped that the man would have saw that she was doing her best to make things work, but she had come to accept that Okoto was content in his life. Happy to laze away, gain weight, and offer only his ability to take up space as a contribution to society.
Hana Mitaka's heels clicked and clacked against the sidewalk, her face stoic and her expression deadpan.
There weren't many things that she had wanted out of her life, but a loving husband, daughter, and household seemed to apparently be too much to ask for.
She wanted to have more kids once… She had always wanted a son, a little boy to call her Mommy. Asa was a sweet girl, but she was too much of a mirror of herself for her own comfort. She loved the girl dearly anyway, of course, because that was what parents were supposed to do for their children. Unconditional love. Something that she unfortunately hasn't been able to receive for several years at this point.
Dark clouds suddenly soared overhead, to which Hana was once again thankful to herself that she always left home with an umbrella, even when the days started out as bright and sunny. There was always a chance that rain would come down, even if it was less than a one-percent chance. A chance was always a chance, no matter how slim, after all. In fact, she kept trying to tell her co-workers — the ones who would listen to her, anyway — that they should be doing the same. But no, they made fun of and teased her for being so 'over-prepared' all the time. Was it really so wrong to want to be ready for any inconvenience? She didn't think so, but her co-workers obviously thought otherwise. Well, at least she had already meal-prepped for the whole week, so she didn't have to worry about spending more money today on take out for herself, Asa, and her lazy bum of a husband. Of course, she would have to go shopping for groceries on Saturday at eight in the morning when they opened. She always went at that time, it was when the fewest people were there and that meant less people getting in her way as she stocked up on the stuff that she needed to ensure that her and her family could survive the next week. Unfortunately, that took up a good chunk of her weekly income, and the rest of it would be gone paying off the bills. Naturally, that meant that she had little to no spending money for herself anymore. Which was fine, she made it work. She didn't need vacations anyway, vacations were for people with too much time on their hands, and they were a waste of money too. Sure, Asa might be sad that she couldn't go on certain field trips, but she was eight years old already, practically at the age that she should be able to handle not getting everything she wanted out of life. She had to do it, so why couldn't Asa do it either? Seriously, the girl needed to grow up, and quick. It'd make her life much easier.
When the rain started getting heavier, Hana popped open her umbrella and held it over her head in a practiced motion. A few droplets still managed to fall onto her lower body and feet, but the wind wasn't so bad that it would hit her face, so it was fine. It was just water, anyway, she didn't need to worry about it getting on her clothes.
She stopped at the bus stop she always stopped when it was time to go home. The bus stop was apparently damaged by a devil before devil hunters could stop it. What were devil hunters good for if they couldn't kill a devil fast enough to prevent it from causing damages? She would have hoped that her tax money was going somewhere useful, but apparently not.
Hana's foot tapped impatiently on the sidewalk as she waited for the bus to come to her stop. It was already late. It was four in the afternoon now, and the bus schedule said that the bus would be here at four. So why wasn't it here?
"Seriously," Hana pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, seeing no sign of the bus from down the busy road ahead. "What are my tax dollars being used for? The bus drivers can't even be here on time."
If the bench weren't wet — and not bent in half by the supposed devil attack — she might have sat in it. Oh well, just another inconvenience to add to the long list of inconveniences she had suffered throughout her life. What was one more?
Hana Mitaka continued to wait.
And wait.
And… wait…
Hana Mitaka felt a vein bulge out of her forehead as she looked at her watch, watching the minute hand strike the two.
Ten minutes late…
NEEEOOOORRNNNN!
A car sped down the road from a nearby alley of all places, cutting through and disrupting traffic to force its way down the road. It was a miracle that an accident wasn't caused.
Hana looked at where the car came from, saw that her bus still wasn't in sight, and sighed heavily.
"Unbelievable," groaned Hana as she reluctantly pulled out her flip phone. "Now I have to text Okoto to pick up Asa from school, and I'm going to have to hear him complain about it. Ugh, what a pain."
She didn't feel like calling him, because she had begun to detest her husband so much that she began to hate the very sound of his voice. After sending a six word text: "Please pick up Asa from school." She set her phone to silent and stuffed it back in her pocket. The compulsory school Asa went to was only ten minutes away from their small, cramped house, thankfully. The man could walk when he wanted to grab a beer from the fridge, and so the man could walk ten minutes there to pick up their daughter and then walk ten minutes back.
It was the least he could do for her when she was keeping the entire family afloat on her back.
Really, he owed her a lot more than what he was giving her.
Unfortunately, divorce was more expensive than it was to just stay with him, and much, much too much effort than it was worth.
Her own parents split when they were very young, and her mother put her up for adoption once it was settled. She didn't want that to happen to Asa.
"W-Woof!"
Hana perked up at the sound of a dog barking in a strangely specific tone. With a raised eyebrow, she turned around to see a small, round, orange dog with big round eyes.
Orange fur? Thought Hana, confused. I've never seen an orange dog before. This is literally orange, not the ginger I am more familiar with…
Ah, it has a chainsaw in it's head… must be a devil, that makes more sense.
Wait… a devil?
"Woof!" The Chainsaw Devil dog barked at her a second time.
"KYAH!" Hana shrieked with the suddenly realization that a devil was right next to her. "A devil! AAAAHHH! Someone get a devil hun-"
"Woof! Woof!" The dog barked again, running around in a circle in a panic.
Something seemed strange about its panic, however. She quickly realized that it was unusual for a devil to behave in such a manner. The devils she had seen and run away from before were always mindless monsters which attacked on sight. Yet this one was… crying?
"You're… crying?" noted Hana out loud. "A devil is crying? Why?"
"Woof!" The dog barked again, taking two steps closer to her. Hana instinctively leaned back, but for some reason, this devil didn't look like it was trying to attack her. "Woof, woof! Grrrooph!"
Shockingly, the devil stood on it's hind heels and pointed down the sidewalk and toward an alley — the same alleyway that the speeding car from earlier zoomed out from — with a certain desperate demeanor that was impossible to not notice.
"Is… something wrong?" She asked hesitantly. She wasn't exactly keen on entering a dark alley alone with a devil. That didn't seem like the smart thing to do here.
"Woof!" The orange dog nodded profusely, and then padded a few steps down the alley.
Raising one of its paws, it once again pointed at the alley, jutting it's paw out several times to make it clear that it wanted her to follow it down that alley.
I really shouldn't.
Isn't there anyone else that can handle this?
Hana looked around, and at this hour, most people were still at work. There were a few passerby, but none of them came close to her or the devil.
Something gnawed at her insides, spurring her to move forward and follow the devil.
"You better not try kill me… I have pepper spray," threatened Hana as she took a few tentative steps to show that she was going to follow the little orange devil.
"Yip!" The devil barked happily, and jogged down to the sidewalk.
Hana followed it, stopping at the alleyway outer edge and pausing before looking around the corner to see what the commotion was all about.
"Now, what is so important that you needed to interrupt my-"
Hana's eyes widened as she saw a young blonde boy sitting against the brick wall, dimly lit by an overhead light, and covered in blood and bruises.
"Woof!" The devil dog ran down the alley as fast as it could, then turned back to look at her. "Bark! Yip! Woof!"
With each bark, it pointed at the injured boy. Honestly, injured seemed to be an understatement. The boy looked dead.
Hana felt nausea creep up her throat.
But some instinct she wasn't familiar with spurred her forward.
Before she knew it, she had dropped her umbrella and ran down the alley, dropping to her knees beside the hopefully just unconscious boy.
"Hey! Are you okay!?" Hana placed one hand on the boy's shoulder, and the other against the side of his head. Slowly, she pushed his head up so she could look at his face, and-
"Oh God…" Hana felt tears sting the edges of her eyes. "W-What happened to you?"
The right eye of the blonde boy was stabbed. Not entirely plucked out, but so obviously ruined that it was clear that the boy would never see out of that eye again. His face was battered with bruises so large that it pushed his lips open to reveal a row of sharp angular teeth. His one remaining eye was still open, yet there was no sign of life in it.
Hana was no doctor, but she knew that touching the neck was a good way to find a pulse. With a shaking hand, she pressed two fingers against where she thought might be his jugular.
… thump… … thump… … thump
She didn't know whether to be relieved or even more terrified that the boy was still alive. The beat of his heart was slow, weak, barely perceptible.
"Woof!" The orange dog jumped onto it's hind legs, leaning against her with it's paws.
"W-What do you want me to do!?" Hana asked the orange devil, gripping the sides of her head in a panic. "I-I'm not a doctor! I don't know where the nearest hospital is!"
"W-Woof!"
Big globs of tears fell from the dogs eyes.
"Urgh…" The boy groaned, causing her and the devil to snap back to him. "A… ck… ow…"
Hana's heart tightened.
Her body moved on instinct. She scooped the boy into her arms, and groaned as she lifted him off the ground. The boy slumped against her chest, staining her work uniform with blood. For once, she didn't care. She just wanted to help however she can.
I need to save him. Thought Hana as she sprinted down the street with the dying boy in her arms. I need to save him. I need to save him.
She mentally chanted the words in her head for what felt like miles. She used to run track in school, and she made sure to go on a run every once in a while, and today she couldn't help but thank herself for doing so. She ran and ran down the sidewalk, asking for directions from random people, and somehow found herself in the emergency center of a hospital.
I need to save him.
Hana watched as the doctors took the boy from her hands and placed him on a mobile bed. They carted the boy down the hallway, and perhaps that was all she needed to do. She lost track of that orange dog, and she briefly wondered where it could have gone. She didn't stop to wait up for it, not when the boys life was on the line. But other than that, she did all that she could have done. The boy was out of her hands now. There was nothing else that could be done…
What am I doing?
Hana followed the doctors down the hallway.
"Are you his mother?" One of the doctors asked her as she ran to catch up with them.
"N-No," She admitted reluctantly. She had wanted to say yes, but the boy looked nothing like her or her husband. It wouldn't make sense to claim him as her own. "I found him in an alley like this, and rushed him here…"
"Do you know his parents?" The doctor asked next, now pulling out a clipboard to write down her responses while the other doctors continued wheeling the boy down the hallway.
"No, I don't."
"Do you know what happened to him?"
"No, I found him after whatever happened…"
"Do you know anything about him that could be useful for us to treat him?" Inquired the doctor in an annoyingly professional tone. "Allergies? Conditions? Diseases or illnesses?" He clarified.
"I don't know," Hana groaned. "I just found the boy today, I don't know anything about him, how he ended up like this, or why. I just happened to pass by."
"I see," The doctor put away his clipboard. "Then why are you here?"
"I…" Hana looked away. "I just want to make sure he's okay."
The doctor looked at her. Only his eyes visible since the rest of his face was covered with a surgical mask. He sighed, rolling his eyes at her. Hana knew that look, it was the look she sometimes received when she was being dismissed.
"I-I want to be there for him," She pleaded, grabbing the doctors arm before he could fully turn away. "The police should be on their way here… they need a witness like me to tell them what happened."
There, that made sense. The doctor must have thought so too, as he gave her a single nod and stepped out of her way.
I need to be there.
Hana rushed past the doctor and followed the others into the room. She didn't even get to catch the room number. Before she knew it, she found herself sitting in a chair, watching as nurses and doctors stuck a tube down the boys throat to help him breathe. Watched as they applied an IV hydration drip into his arm. His left arm was broken, and so she watched as they put a cast on that arm. She was ushered out of the room as they started to treat the stabbed eye, and she was led right back in when the deed was done, and the boy now sported an gauze bandage on that very same eye.
The boy was now covered in bandages to treat lacerations, and she could see that they applied some ointment to help soothe the bruises on his body.
I want to be here…
When the doctors and nurses did all that they could, the police still hadn't shown up. She pulled her seat closer to the boy's bed, and only then did she allow her shoulders to relax.
Why am I still here…?
Hana reached into her pocket and balked at the time. It had been several hours since she had found the boy, and she hadn't even realized it. Her husband had tried calling her a dozen times, and sent twice as many texts, demanding to know where she was.
"I'm at the hospital." Hana replied in a text.
"Okay." Okoto sent back.
Hana sighed.
"G-Guh…" The boy stirred, groaning in pain.
"H-Hey," Hana leaned over him, her face twisted into an expression she was not familiar with anymore. "I'm here, sweetie, don't worry, you're not alone."
"M… M… ah?" A tear started trickling down the boys face. "M-Mah?"
Hana's eyes widened.
"Yes," She nodded frantically. "I'm here, I won't leave you alone. Don't worry, Mommy's here…"
The boy sniffled, and then closed his remaining eye.
What am I saying!?
The police had showed up, time still a blur. She couldn't sleep, not when the boy could wake up at any time again. They entered the room, and greeted her with a stiff nod.
"We looked into the boy's background, as much as we could, anyway," One of the two officers sighed. "This kid is named Denji Bonamo, son of an American, Joseph Bonamo, and a Japanese woman called Yui Suzuki. Both of them are dead."
"D-Dead?" Hana's heart skipped a beat. "What happened?"
"Yui died of a rare heart condition," The officer regaled her with a sorrowful sigh. "The kid probably has it too… it's treatable, but there's not a cure for it yet. The symptoms will only start to show when he's in his early to mid teens."
"The father died via suicide," The other officer continued. "Joseph was a known gambler, and a poor one at that. He spent all his money on gambling, and apparently he resorted to taking loans from the Yakuza and winded up extremely indebted to them."
"T-The Yakuza?" Hana was aghast. Why couldn't he just get a normal job? Just from that mere fact alone, she knew that this American must've been a horrible father. Better off dead.
Just like her husband…
"That likely explains why Denji ended up like this," They continued. "The Yakuza must've realized that there was no way an eight year old kid could pay off a debt like that, so we assume that the kid must've told them that, and so they beat him to near death for it."
"He would have died if you weren't fast enough," One of them placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did a good job, ma'am, you should be proud of yourself."
I saved him.
"I saved him…?" Hana repeated in realization. "That's right… I did save him… I did!"
She smiled widely, for the first time in years, she felt a face splitting grin tear at the corners of her lips.
"I really did save him!"
"Yeah, you did," The officer chuckled. "Child protective services will be here soon to discuss his future when he wakes up. You're free to go whenever you'd like, ma'am. Take this time to rest up, and prepare for the future."
"Right, of course," Hana looked at Denji and…
Denji. Denji.
"Denji," Hana said the name out loud.
I like that name.
"I will stay a bit longer," Hana told the officers as she took the open seat beside the orphaned child in need of a mother. "I've been here for this long, I may as well commit to the effort."
The officers looked at each other, then shrugged. Whatever they did next was up to them. Hana was going to stay there with her so- Denji until he woke up again.
Well into the next day, Denji was still drifting in and out of consciousness. But he was getting better, that was good. Hana called out of work to stay in the hospital, waiting for the CPS people to come talk to her. They were going to be talking to her, because Denji couldn't speak right with that tube in his mouth. Thankfully, they resolved to remove the tube when it was shown that the boy was remarkably strong, and was recovering quickly. Denji was able to breathe on his own now already, which Hana found herself proud of him for.
It turned out when the officers said soon they meant well into the next day in the afternoon. Her husband hadn't tried calling or texting her today, so she assumed that he took Asa to school that morning. He'd have to do so for the next few days, because currently Hana had no intentions of leaving the hospital at the moment.
The hospital was strangely peaceful to her. It was never quiet, with the heart rate monitor beeping every second. The food wasn't that good either, and it was stupidly expensive.
But it was better than her daily life.
She was okay with this.
Besides, Denji needed someone to wake up to.
A caseworker entered the hospital room, and Hana instantly perked up at them as they called her name, having been told that she was here.
She made a show of listening to the caseworker was saying. They explained that Denji was going to be taken care of, sent to an orphanage and likely given a new name to help hide him from the Yakuza out of fear that they might try to come after him again. Hana didn't care about all that, because as far as she knew, this boy was always going to be Denji to her. She only really started paying attention when adoption was brought up as an option, not to her directly, but as for conversation as the caseworker was there to obviously work with Denji when he woke up.
"What if I adopt him?" Hana asked with a gentle, motherly smile. "I've always wanted a son. I haven't been able to bring myself to leave his side since I brought him here. Would it be possible?"
"O-Oh, well…" The caseworker didn't seem to expect those words to come out of her mouth, nor in such a chipper tone. "It's not unheard of for rescuers of children to adopt them… especially orphans. Are you sure, though? There's going to be a lot of paperwork and obviously a screening process. It's… not going to be a short one, I'm sure you understand. We want the best for Denji, and to make sure he is going to go home with a happy family who wants and accepts him."
"Of course, I understand," Hana played along. "My husband is a hardworking man who never fails to impress me. My daughter Asa has been quite lonely but she is very sociable. I'm sure that they will become great step-siblings. We have more than enough room at the house as well, there's a guest room with his name already on it. In fact, I've already talked to my husband on the phone, and he said he is happy to accept a new child into the family."
"Wow, this is a good start," The caseworker laughed happily. "It's just the start, but I am happy to know that if Denji does end up as your step-son that he will be in good hands."
"Yes, he will be," Hana happily nodded.
"It will be nice having A New Mitaka in the family…"
The adoption process would usually have taken months or even years to complete, but since there were so many orphaned children due to devil attacks, the process was expedited to take just about a week. Children needed parents, and so the government cut a few corners to make that happen as quickly as possible.
A week of paperwork, a week of ignoring phone calls and texts from her husband, Asa's school, and her boss. She answered all the questions that was required of her and passed with flying colors.
Denji was going to be a Mitaka.
He's my son now. Hana thought fondly as she stroked the boy's surprisingly soft hair. Mine.
Denji had woken up a couple of times, and every time he looked for her. The caseworker had informed her that Denji had imprinted on her since she was spending so much time with him. That meant she had to stay with him until he was cleared for checked out of the hospital.
"Thank you for savin' me," Denji looked up at her with wondrous glee. "I thought everyone woulda just left me there. But you didn't, that's real cool of ya'!"
"Haha," Hana squeezed the boys shoulder comfortingly. "How could I leave an injured boy in an alley like that? I'm glad I was there to save you."
"Yeah, me too!" Denji beamed at her, showing his rows of sharp, shark-like teeth with a smile that reached his eye. "You're like, an actual super hero!"
"I am, aren't I?" Hana laughed happily. "You're so kind and sweet to be able to notice that, you're a good boy, Denji."
"A-Ah, thanks," Denji's face went red with embarrassment. "S-So uh, the worker person talked to me earlier. Is it… is it true?"
Hana feigned ignorance. "Is what true, sweetie?"
"Did you… um…" He gulped loudly and nervously. "Adopt me?"
Hana smiled.
"Yes, I did adopt you," She nodded in confirmation. "I know I'm not your biological mother… but I would still like for you to be my son. Do… you want to be Denji Mitaka?"
"Hell yeah!" Denji threw his healthy arm up in excitement. "I've been living in a dirty ass shed since my Dad died! I'd fuckin' love to actually live in a house like a normal person! Do you have food there?"
"Of course I do!" Hana nodded frantically. Usually, she hated it when people used swear words, but this moment was the exception. "I have food, and a bed waiting for you when we get home. You just need to tell the doctor you're feeling all better the next time he comes in to check on you, okay?"
"Oh, yeah, sure!" Denji nodded obediently.
Good, she loved that he listened to her.
"I still feel a bit of pain when I move, but it's no biggie, I guess," Denji shrugged, winced, and tried to hide it.
Hana ignored that.
Instead, she gently wrapped her arms around Denji, hugging him softly. The boy seemed to be unfamiliar with that kind of affection, but he did his best to hug her back with his one good arm.
I have a son now. This is what I wanted. I deserve to be selfish for once. I deserve this. I deserve this.
I deserve this.
I deserve this.
Denji wants this too. I can tell. He wants to be my son. I deserve to have Denji as my son.
"Do you know where Pochita is?" Denji suddenly asked her as she wheeled him down the hallway, the young boy sat in a wheelchair. Just as she told him to do, he told the doctor that he was feeling good enough to get checked out. After a recent, violent devil attack, they needed the room, and so they didn't ask twice. Hana was grateful for other people's laziness for once.
"Who?" Hana asked, genuinely not knowing who he could be talking about.
"He's a dog! Round and orange, with a chainsaw in his head!" Denji was happy to explain. "You can't miss him. He must've been nearby when you found me, he had to be."
"Ah, right," Hana remembered the dog. "I remember him. The dog is still alive, but I don't know where he is."
"He'll find me, I'm not worried," Denji said with the utmost faith. "He may be a devil, but he's my best friend. I know we're going to see each other again."
"Hm…" Hana supposed she wouldn't mind having a relatively harmless devil living in her house too. But if she was being honest, she wasn't about to go looking for it, and was glad that Denji hadn't asked her to. "We'll see. I wouldn't have so much faith in a devil of all things, but that one seemed to be different for whatever reason."
"He is!" Denji beamed up at her with his one eye. "He is different, you'll see. Don't worry about taking care of him either, I'll do it myself! It's the least I can do for you since you're taking me into your family!"
"You're such a sweetheart," Hana leaned down and kissed Denji on the top of his head. "Thank you very much, son,"
"Y-Yeah… no problem, Mrs. Mitaka."
He would call her Mother again soon. She knew he would. This was all still very new and sudden for him, so naturally it'd take some time.
A few days, maybe a week, should be more than enough.
…
Oh my God…
What have I done?
When Hana walked up to the Mitaka household, she suddenly realized the gravity of what she had done.
She had just adopted a child without her husband knowing. She had filled out paperwork knowing that he should have been there to have a say. She lied about everything just so she could get a son!
Her husband was a deadbeat father and a bum of a man.
Asa was extremely introverted and prone to temper tantrums. Not sociable at all.
Her house was small and cramped and it just now clicked in her head that she didn't have a room for Denji at all. He would have to share with Asa…
I am a terrible person. Hana thought as she unlocked the door with her key instead of turning around to hand Denji off to a responsible family who could actually take care of him.
I really am the worst. She added as she shut the door behind her.
"Whoa…" Denji was taken aback by the state of her home, which was remarkably clean. Asa was nothing if not a cleaner. "This place is so big!"
"I-It is, isn't it?" Hana sweat nervously. She knew that Okoto was here, and Asa had to be as well since it was the weekend now. It was only a matter of time when they realize that they were-
"MOMMY!" Asa shrieked as she appeared around the corner, wearing her usual purple T-shirt over a long sleeved black shirt and grey pajama pants, eyes going from narrowed and upset to even more narrowed and upset when she saw Denji. "Who is that!?"
"Hey!" Denji greeted her with a wave. "I'm Denji, are you my new sister or something?"
"What? I don't have a brother! Who are you!?" Asa shrinked back from Denji as he took a step forward. "You look nothing like me! You're not my brother! Mom, who is he!? Why is he here!?"
"Asa will you stop screaming already!?" Okoto's scream echoed around the house, sourced from his room. "I'm tryin' to sleep!"
"He's trying to sleep in the afternoon?" Denji pondered curiously. "He must be tired then."
"Asa, sweetie," Hana stepped forward, dropping down to one knee. She would deal with one issue at a time. Okoto wasn't going to leave his room unless he was hungry or something. "I know this is sudden, but it's true, I adopted-"
"YOU ADOPTED HIM!?" Asa practically screamed in her face. "Why!? He's dirty, and he's a stupid boy!"
"Hey, I'm not dirty!" Protested Denji. "I am covered in bruises, this ain't dirt!"
"Just please try to get along with him, okay?" Hana continued to try and calm down her daughter. "Think of this like a sleepover. You've always wanted one of those, right? This is like that, but he just isn't going to leave."
"Uurgh!" Asa stamped her foot. "No! I don't want some gross boy to sleep over. Boy's are nasty and gross and stupid!"
"Are you always this loud and annoying?" Denji snapped back, causing Hana to wince and Asa to gasp dramatically. "You don't know shit about me, how do you get off calling me gross and shit?"
"MOOOOM! He's swearing!" Asa pointed at him, already on the verge of tears. "And I'm not annoying, or loud! You're the loud and annoying one! You're the one invading my home, you burglar!"
"I don't even know what burglar means!"
"It's what YOU ARE!"
"Denji, please don't swear," Hana placed a hand on Denji's shoulder, and a hand on Asa's shoulder. "Both of you, don't insult each other. Whether you like it or not, you're step-siblings now, so please, try to get along. Asa, I know this is sudden for you, and I'm sorry that I am springing on you with no warning. I understand why you are upset, but please, I am asking you to try to make this work with me, can you do that?"
"Hmph!" Asa pouted, crossed her arms, and looked away.
That'll have to do.
"Denji," She turned to her new son next. "Please don't be mean to Asa. Be kind to her. That means no swearing at her — or swearing in general. I know you went through something terrible, but that's no excuse to be mean to others. Okay?"
"Yeah… okay," Denji nodded and sighed. "Sorry Asa, I shouldn't have cursed at ya'."
"Yes, annnnnnd?" Asa pouted at him, and there were tears at the edges of her eyes.
"Oh, right, I'm sorry for calling you loud and annoying too," Denji amended.
"Hmph." Asa refused to look at him. "Good, you better be sorry…"
"Asa…" Hana warned subtly.
"Fine," Asa huffed and turned back to Denji. "I accept your apology, or w-whatever."
Asa ran away as soon as the words left her mouth, and Hana heard her slam the door shut behind her.
Hana knew that Asa was going to be crying about this…
Her heart ached.
"I don't think she likes me," Denji, as any child would, pointed out the obvious.
"Asa doesn't like anyone at first," Hana explained. "It takes time for her to open up to people. Don't take it personally, she'll come to like you in time."
I hope…
"Well, I guess that's fine," Denji shrugged, then winced as his left arm was still healing from being broken. He yawned quickly after, and then his stomach growled. "I'm hungry… and I'm tired too… Where do I stay again?"
She was going to have him stay with Asa, but she had a powerful feeling that Asa wouldn't like that right now.
Or, well, ever.
"You can stay in the living room for now," Hana said, nudging Denji over to the couch, which scarcely went used since her husband stayed in his room, Asa usually stayed in her room, and she scarcely ever had time to relax. "Is that okay? The couch is comfortable, I-I promise."
"Yeah!" Denji smirked at her. "I was used to sleeping on the floor in this shed I stayed at for a few months, a couch would be like, a hundred times better!"
This poor boy…
Hana watched as Denji climbed onto the couch, lying down on his back and immediately closing his eye. Hana draped a small blanket over his body, and then went to the kitchen to make him some food. Thankfully, there was food available for her to throw together and make a meal for him. Not much, so she'd have to go shopping again. She was already late on it since it was Saturday now…
After quickly whipping something up — she heated up some frozen food — she quickly brought the plate over to Denji in the living room.
He was already asleep…
"I was only gone for a few minutes…" Hana said sorrowfully as she knelt beside the sleeping Denji. "You really have been through a lot, haven't you…?"
She left the food on the coffee table next to him for now.
Hana left the living room, and rested her head on her forearm leaning against the wall. With Asa in her room, Denji with food and a place to sleep for now, there was just one other issue to handle…
Reluctantly, she made her way down the hallway to where her husbands room was. They slept in different rooms now. They haven't slept in the same room for months at this point.
Not bothering to knock, she slid the door open and entered.
Okoto was already sitting up. Around his futon were several empty beer bottles. Inexpensive, cheap beer. Whenever the rare time struck for her husband to have the sudden energy to go out, it was exclusively to buy this stupid, cheap beer. Not enough to get him drunk, but just enough for him to make his room smell of alcohol.
"I heard Asa screaming about something," Her husband sighed at her. "Did you really adopt some random kid?"
"…Yes," Hana told him with absolutely zero fear in her mind.
Okoto, although a deadbeat, was not a physical abuser. He wouldn't touch her.
"I wanted a son," She added. "I've always wanted one."
"Hmph," Okoto laughed. "If you wanted another kid so badly, you could have come in here and we could've made one."
Hana wanted to vomit at the thought.
"It's fine, I guess, I'm not against it and I'm not gonna throw the kid out," He continued. "I'm not some monster. If you want to take care of him that's your responsibility, I've already got Asa, and I'm content with that."
Hana felt her anger surge.
"Since I adopted him, he's your son too," She pointed out. "He's a Mitaka."
"Sure, he can have my name," Her husband shrugged uncaringly. "Doesn't make me his Dad though, and it doesn't make you his mother either."
Hana turned, left, and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Asa hasn't been to school for the last few days," Okoto called out through the door. "Make sure she gets back to it on Monday!"
She stood in the hallway, clenching her fists so tightly she felt her fingernails digging into her palms.
She forced herself to relax. Breathe in… one… two… breathe out.
Hana went back to the living room to check on Denji. He had woken up from his brief nap, and was wolfing down the food she had left out for him.
She felt calmed by the sight.
This could work. Her husband was okay with him staying here, and Asa would eventually grow to… get used to him, surely.
Hana left Denji to finish his food, he was a growing boy, and he was recovering from his injuries. She would need to feed him as much as she could so he could get better.
SCRCH SCRCH SCRCH
Hana had a feeling she knew what the scratching was being caused by.
She moved to the front door, opening it.
That small orange dog sat outside, barking happily at her through the screen door between them.
She stared down at the little devil, and briefly considered closing the door in front of it and calling the devil hunters.
But…
"Denji said you're his best friend," Hana sighed heavily. "Is that true?"
"Yip!"
"I see…"
Well…
She had already adopted a child when she was in no position to do so comfortably.
What was a pet compared to that?
"Don't poop inside my house," said Hana as she opened the front door, letting the little orange devil pad into her home. "He's in the living room, you can go to him if you want. He said he'd take care of you."
"Woof!" The dog, which she assumed was the Pochita Denji talked about, barked happily and ran into the living room. She heard Denji excitedly cry the dogs name, and felt a warmth in her chest.
Everything was going to get worse. She was going to have to work even harder, and have even less free time for at least the next six to eight years.
But… at least she had a son now.
Hana entered the living room, joining Denji as he was catching up with his buddy.
He was happy, he was full, and he had a place to sleep.
That was good enough for now…
… right?