A Drop of Poison in the Ocean [Invite and Request Only]

Shuya's expression softened. He had scared her really bad it would seem. 

"Chihiro-chan... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry at you. I just didn't like what you said about yourself. You're not broken..." He said. He hesitated before reaching out her and pulling her into a hug. 

"You can trust me... I won't hurt you... I won't throw you away okay?" He said. At that point he began to get more memories of Chihiro to try and learn more about her.

As Shuya hugged the girl, she stiffened in surprise once more.

Where was the pain? Wasn't he going to squeeze her? Why wasn't she flying?

She was ready to force him away, like she'd been taught to through long practice, but that future didn't materialize.

Rather, instead he simply held her, like her mother had, the night before she disappeared.


"It's alright Chihiro-chan," They were hollow words, backed by a quiet despair that even she could feel with her clumsy senses, "You're so strong and so beautiful..." Love and despair equal measure, "You're the best. There's no way they'd ever throw you away." ...and bitter, tired anger.

Chihiro felt it all of it swirl up in a confusing haze at that time, creating a moment she could never forget, but now...there was only a quiet warmth; a desire to protect seasoned by a solemn curiosity.

It was enough to set her to crying all over again. If she was supposed to be strong, then... there's no way she couldn't be broken, right? But Shuya said she wasn't... but Shuya didn't know her to begin with. How could he understand?

Shuya opened his eyes and gently rubbed her back.

"You've been through a lot huh?" Shuya said. 

"Did you see something?" Venom asked. Shuya raised an eyebrow.

'Of course I did. Didn't you?' Shuya asked. 

"No... No I didn't." Shuya looked down at Chihiro.

"Not being strong doesn't mean you're broken Chihiro-chan..." He said as stood with her in his arms and walked over to the sofa. 

"There was a time where all I thought I needed was strength.... I was reckless and pushed everyone away... My friends... My family... Everyone..." He said looking down.

The girl blinked. But wasn't she strong?

Everyone told her that all the time, but...

...She was never praised for a single success; she always failed.

And her body got tired so easily, simply moving sometimes felt like someone was pulling against her arms and legs.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed her family was simply wrong about her, and she wasn't strong.

Didn't that make her weak?

No wonder she was such a disappointment.

Apologizing to her mother within her heart, Chihiro curled into herself.

However, something confused her, "Why... would you push them away?" What was the point of being strong if there was no one to acknowledge it? What would you do with strength, if you had no one to use it for?

Shuya looked at the ceiling as he began to tell his story.

"I felt that I didn't deserve them... I was one of those people with the mindset of one who believed the strong deserve to have anything and everything while the weak get nothing. And to make matters worse, I considered myself weak. Then one day..." He trailed off.

"Are you sure you wanna tell her?" Venom asked.

'It's fine. She's already seen you, and I'm pretty sure she's put two and two together that we're the same person so to speak.' Shuya thought back. Venom stayed silent, letting Shuya continue his story. 


"One day I was walking home from school, when I was attacked by this man. He was covered in this strange black goo. I was able to fight him off, not knowing that the strange black goo was seeping into my skin. I found out that that goo was a sentient Symbiote creature called Venom." He said as he raised his hand up and willed Venom to cover it and turn it into a claw. 

"What I'm trying to say is, Weakness, is NOT a sin." Shuya finished.

She blinked, confused, "But... didn't Venom simply make you stronger? If you were weak, then how did you fight the man? I don't understand..."

Shuya's eye twitched.

"Well that's..." He tried to explain doing his best to ignore Venom's Laughter.

"I'll take it from here Shuya."  Venom said as a lone tendril came from Shuya's hand and wrapped around Chihiro's wrist gently as not to alarm or frighten her.

"Listen child. The reason Shuya was able to fight off my previous vessel with ease is because it was already dead. You see I am apart of a alien symbiotic race known as the Klyntar that hell from a planet of the same name, though that is a tale for another time." Venom said in a tone full of Melancholy.

"Anyway, we Klyntars find hosts we are most attuned to. The Vessel I had before did not meet my requirements and it sort of.... died while I was using it to look for another host. I found Shuya and he was exactly what I was looking for." Shuya rolled his eyes and looked back to Chihiro.

"Anyway. What I mean is sometimes we cry. Sometimes we get angry. Sometimes we get sick. But that doesn't give people the right to call us weak. And even if that is the case. That doesn't mean we can't get better... Stronger.... You understand what I mean?" Shuya asked Chihiro.

The girl flinched as Venom extended his tendril, nearly repelling it instinctively before it could make contact, however - nervously - she restrained herself and allowed the contact. However, the being's words only left her more bewildered.

So it's 'strength' if the one you are comparing yourself to is weak? Even if you're weak yourself, if they're weaker, then you're stronger? The logic knotted together and writhed. It didn't - shouldn't - make any sense.

She was weaker than anyone, after all, and only getting weaker every day. So, regardless of whether anyone had the right to affirm that to her - she knew it better than anyone. Contrarily, even, the only one who'd ever called her 'weak' was herself.

Still, when he said his piece, she understood what Shuya was saying. However, if not everyone is 'strong,' and 'not everyone is weak,' it should stand to reason 'not everyone can get stronger.' And not all sickness wanes.

"She's just sick, so Mama... will get better, right?"

What was it, Mama's friend had told her before they'd both disappeared?

"...Maybe. Maybe... but... sometimes it just doesn't get any better, no matter how long you wait."

They were gone, and she'd never seen them again, or heard from them again, or heard of them again. No one said it, but Chihiro was hardly dumb. Her Mother hadn't gotten better. If anything, she'd only gotten worse.

If she was like her mother at all...


"...I think so." The girl said, non-commitive.

Shuya Talked with Chihiro for a bit more before it was obvious she was beginning to get sleepy. Shuya hesitated before carrying her and placing her in his bed before heading back out with a spare  blanket and pillow and headed for the couch. He looked towards his phone and picked it up and scrolled through the contacts and stopped at the Contact titled T.HOUSEHOLD. He called the number and put it to his ear.

"Uh hey Aunty Momoko? Yeah I'm fine. Just had an eventful night... Yeah I'm fine! Listen is Uncle Shiro around? Can  I talk to him? I'll explain before opening time tomorrow."

Shuya said as he looked towards his bed room where Chihiro was sleeping.

"That kid has been through hell. And I'm not talking about those Yakuza that tried to "Retrieve" her." Venom said as Shuya waited for his Uncle Shiro to pick up.

"Hey Uncle Shiro. Listen. I need some help. I'll explain tomorrow ok?" Shuya said.

The next day after calming Chihiro down after she had a freakout episode and jumped out of her body when she found herself alone in Shuya's bed, and cooking a small breakfast. They made their way toward Midoriya. Shuya held Chihiro's hand as they walked to reassure her that she was safe. And eventually they made it to Takamachi Household just as a small brown pig tailed haired girl with purple eyes in a Seishou Elementary school uniform. She smiled at Shuya and waved at him with a shout of "Ohaiyou Shuya-nii-chan!" Before heading for the bus. Shuya smiled before turning and seeing both Kyouya and Miyuki looking at him with a pair of matching frowns. One stern,(Kyouya) and one of concern(Miyuki).

'This is gonna end well...' Shuya thought with a grimace as he felt Chihiro's grip around his hand tighten.

Chihiro held Shuya's hand tightly as they walked through busy streets and empty streets alike. The unfamiliar faces, while they didn't seem to pay her any mind, worried her nearly as much as the peaceful emptiness, which she who had grown up in a house full of people had never experienced. Always, she was searching skillessly for some sign of someone to get her, or some sign that the one 'protecting' her meant ill, but for better or worse, she found nothing. Maybe she was safe?

...Thoughts like that made her want to curl into a ball and go to sleep somewhere.

But she couldn't do that, because she wasn't 'safe.' Even if no one came to bring her back, even if Shuya was everything she hoped he was, even if, even then...



"Is... everything alright, Shuya-kun?" One, a young woman, asked, concerned.

The other, however, radiated stern disapproval. "Or something we should know?"

_{1: A recurring nightmare of hers, and the same one that woke her up that morning. Link.}

Shuya shot an irritated glare at Kyouya.

"Everything fine Miyuki-neechan, Kyouya-san."  Shuya said barely hiding the annoyance in his tone when he addressed Kyouya.

"Now that I think about it... Why do you and Samurai Kyo over here dislike each other so much?" Venom asked. Shuya sighed inwardly. 

'It's not that we hate each other. He just thinks I'm a selfish prick due to that phase I was going through back before I met you.' He said as he walked past Kyouya and Miyuki with Chihiro in tow.

"I see... Want me to eat him?" Venom asked. Shuya rolled his eyes not even daring to ask if Venom meant that as either a joke or he actually wanted to sink his teeth into Kyouya.

It probably meant something that neither of the other young adults did anything to stop Shuya as he led Chihiro into the building, despite their mixed emotions, but she couldn't begin to guess what. She supposed he was supposed to be here, but it was odd that he was simply allowed in unchallenged, if begrudgingly, in the case of the boy (who she assumed to be Kyouya).

Maybe he just didn't like Shuya? But, then, why was he here? Every time she'd seen someone exhibit that sort of disapproval, frustration, or resentment, she rarely saw them again afterward... But, then, that was 'home.' This is theirs. Probably. Shuya would be an outsider anyway, and it was usually fine to be upset at outsiders.

Either way, if Kyouya intended to continue his verbal needling, or Miyuki to press on her concerns, they were both interrupted by someone new.

"So this is Chihiro-chan, huh?" An older man showed up, his gentle demeanor belying a reserved, wary, and curious heart. "How're you doing little lady?" He queried, smiling. The edges didn't quite reach up all the way, but his heart was colored with the unique blend of worry and affection that she associated with sympathy (or pity), so she guessed he wasn't lying.

"I am doing very well today, sir," She replied as she had been taught and drilled to reply. It didn't matter that she was sore from walking so far (she was always a little sore anyway) or that she was scared as she'd ever been, among all these strangers with no one she was really sure she could trust. There was only ever one proper response to that question. Any other would just make things worse... Or so it had, in the past.

Something shifted inside the man. His worry and affection both intensified, and the light in his heart grew dimmer as he reined in his emotions. Maybe he saw something? She wasn't sure what he could have possibly seen - she made sure her poise was as perfect as it could possibly be when she replied.

"Well," He said, "I'm no expert but Shuya-kun here was worried about you, so do you mind if I give you a little check up?"

She was indecisive, tightening her grip on Shuya's arm. This was common enough - everyone was always looking out for her health after all. However, she did not know this man. His heart wasn't showing anything malicious, but what did that mean? He could dim the lights, could he hide them? Or put others in front of them?

By that logic, she wasn't sure she could trust Shuya either... but Shuya had saved her once already, and been nothing but kind so far, so...

Around and around the wheels turned in her head.

Shuya nodded gratefully towards his Uncle Shiro. As they talked and Shiro asked Chihiro if he could give her a checkup. He felt Chihrio gave his arm a squeeze. He knelt down to her level.

"Chihirio-chan, you can trust Uncle Shiro. He's a good man. I promise, nothing bad will happen to you while you're here, okay?" Kyouya and Miyuki watched from afar. Miyuki stared worriedly at Shuya, while Kyouya was impassive. 

"Ne Kyou-chan, Do you really think Shuya-kun could be that creature people are spreading rumors about?" Miyuki whispered to her older brother as she watched Shuya. Though she couldn't help but smile when Shuya knelt down to Chihiro's height and reassured her that their father could be trusted. Kyouya watched on in silence before his expression softened.

"I'm not 100% sure... But... If he is... Then we need to know if he's a threat or not..." He whispered back.

"And if he is?" Miyuki asked turning fully to Kyouya. Kyouya stayed silent and closed his eyes. And Miyuki looked down before turning back to Shuya.

Chihiro gave a small nod that probably should have been more confident, but regardless, she allowed the older man to check on her. He checked her pulse, he gently pinched at her arm, and examined the complexion of her skin. This and a few other things - some of which she recognized, and some she did not know the purpose of. Concluding the impromptu examination, he retrieved that listening tool doctors use, which she could not recall the name of, and smiled at her before turning to Shuya.

"...Why is she here, instead of a hospital? I..." he glanced at her, his worry intensifying, "Don't want to go into detail right here-" ( With her to hear, Chihiro surmised) "but I can't fathom how she could have become so weak from a passing illness. I strongly recommend a professional opinion. She's only barely keeping herself standing right now."

This, Chihiro took some private offense to. Her limbs were tired from all this walking, and she was sore, but she could still maintain her posture! She could stand longer, and she'd done it before!

...It would be nice to sit down though.

Shuya listened to Shiro's explanation. He glanced at Chihiro.

"That's part of what I needed to tell you.`When I found her she had been running for her life. And the people that were chasing her seemed like Yakuza." He said. This caught the attention of Kyouya and Miyuki immediately. 

"I helped her run and heard a roar. It sounded like that Venom monster the news has been talking about had attacked the Yakuza. I then took her to my apartment. Gave her something to eat. And let her sleep in my bed while I took the couch." He said. Kyouya sighed while Miyuki giggled. Shuya glanced at them before turning back to Shiro. 

"I can take her to the Hospital now. I brought her here to ensure her safety. In case those Yakuza are still searching for her." He said. Kyouya and Miyuki caught on immediately. He wanted their help in protecting the young girl.

What came before this point:

"...the car. Gently." Chihiro jolted, suddenly realizing she had nodded off. Somehow, she was still standing, but everyone was looking at her with concern. Oh. Someone was holding her up... why wouldn't they just lay her down? Absent-mindedly, she rubbed her side. Why did they catch her at all, for that matter? Usually, she was just allowed to fall. It was her fault for not paying attention anyway, right?

Shuya smiled sheepishly while Miyuki giggled and Kyouya simply smirked at Shiro's remark. Whatever Shiro was gonna say was cut off when everyone noticed Chihiro swaying back and forth before she suddenly fell forward. Kyouya and Miyuki were stunned when in a burst of inhuman speed Shuya ran to Chihiro and caught her before she fell.

He blinked realizing what he had just did and looked at the others with the color drained from his face. He and Venom had only one thought. 

'Well Shit...' They both thought. Listening to Shiro, Kyouya and Shuya carefully carried Chihiro to the car. They sat in the car in silence with Chihiro nested in Shuya's lap. Momoko, Kyouya, Miyuki, and Shiro had a silent agreement to talk to Shuya about his sudden increase in speed later.

'Why?' Chihiro wondered, as she was carried into the car, bathed in the concern of those around her. 'Where are we going?' She wanted to ask, but held her tongue. She had already messed up once, by allowing herself to collapse in front of strangers. She didn't want to speak out of turn now. She didn't want to see the colors around her turn darker. As a result, she did not speak, and remained silent the entire drive.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination - a large, white building with a kanji Chihiro had yet to see outside of a book. 'A hospital? Why...' Then it occurred to her that, as she was no longer with her family, there would be no way to contact her usual physician. Therefore, if the only logical way to meet with a professional would be to visit such a place. Then, in a place like this... Her eyes were heavy, and she probably missed most of the drive.

Still, she wanted to stay awake.

They arrived at Uminari University Hospital. After parking. Shiro, Shuya, Kyouya, and Miyuki got out with Shuya carrying the barely conscious Chihiro in his arms in a princess carry. Momoko said she would be back after opening up the cafe and calling Shinobu to help with the Breakfast rush. So they headed in towards the Receptionist desk. The whole time Shiro, Miyuki, and even Kyouya couldn’t help but smile at how serious Shuya was being about the young girl’s well being.

Meanwhile in another part of Uminari A man in his mid twenties with brown hair wearing jeans and a buttoned up nurse’s coat hopped off of a bus as he headed towards an address.
This man was a nurse aide tasked with caring for the young Hayate Yagami, Johnathon Carlton, a.k.a. Johnny Cage the movie super star.


“Man I’m never gonna get used to riding the bus like a normal guy.” He muttered to himself as he put on a pair of glasses. He walked up to the door and knocked.

Hayate's morning so far had been normal, really. She got up, worked her way into her chair, prepared, made a simple breakfast, progressed some on her workbooks and... Well, that was it for a while. Every now and again, she would perhaps stop by a nearby store for some groceries.

It wasn't a bad routine, but it was kind of monotonous sometimes, and a little lonely - especially those days where she didn't have anything she needed to do out of the house. Honestly, the only reason she hadn't finished her workbooks was because she'd then have one less thing to do each day. But today, as with the past few weeks recently, there was something else to look forward to.

As if to punctuate that thought, there was a knock on her door.

She'd been waiting for it in the living room, so she set aside her sketchbook and rolled over to the door. Placing one hand on the wall and pushing, she pulled the door open to reveal her nursing assistant. He was a kind of funny guy, even for a foreigner, but he had a big heart and was willing to go out of his way to spend time with her so... Ichida-sensei allowed it, with the caveat they were to keep her abreast of their schedule and spend their time in a public location with verifiable sources (so as to prevent a scandal if the wrong individual decided to go looking for one.)

"Cariton-san!" She greeted with the energy she presented to anyone she got the chance to interact with. She winced internally, knowing she still hadn't quite landed his name's pronunciation, but continued with determination in (only just noticeably accented) English: "Good morning, how are you?" That pronunciation had a small cost, however, as there was a brief, but noticeable pause between each word, which she was still working on eliminating without ruining the work she'd put into saying it correctly.

Johnny smiled. 

‘She’s definitely getting better with her pronunciations.’ He thought.

“I’m pretty good Hayate-san. How are you?” Johnny asked in heavily accented Japanese 

“So you ready to head to the library like we talked about?” He asked as he was let in. His eyes were immediately drawn to that book. 

‘I just can’t put my finger on it… But for some damn reason  that book just gives me the creeps.’ He thought shivering. 

‘Maybe it’s the chains. I mean who wraps chains around a book like that? That’s like some really heavy Evil Dead type shit…’ He thought as his attention was brought back to Hayate.

"I am fine, thank you." Hayate answered, as she let Johnny into the house.

She noticed Johnny's eyes drifting to the display case she kept her parents' book in, but she didn't comment. He looked at it every time he came by and, really, it was definitely a weird book... which she couldn't read, as the chains binding it didn't even have a lock. It probably wasn't even a real book so much as a knick-nack... but really, that was niether here nor there. More important:

"Yes!" She agreed, continuing to practice her English as Johnny practiced his Japanese. Though, that response may be a bit too forward, "We can go... when you are ready." She paused, thinking, "Would you like some water?"

Johnny took his eyes off the book and looked towards Hayate. He smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Johnny said. He then knelt down to her level.

"Were you able to get in your Wheelchair okay? You didn't fall or anything did you?" He asked her seriously. He didn't like her living by herself. But there wasn't anything he could do. Not even Doctor Ishida could.

"Of course," The girl replied, rolling her eyes as she rollled away to fetch the mentioned water from a pitcher on an endtable. "You don't need to worry that much." She assured, her voice slightly chastising.

Johhny chuckled. "Sorry. Just making sure." He said standing up as she rolled away. He looked around one more time before his eyes landed on another piece of Reading material. A magazine. It was in japanese writing but the cover he knew all too well and the words came to the front of his mind as a frown replace the playful smile on his face.



'I guess even people around here see me as nothing but a fake....' Johnny thought with a hint of both anger and depression.