He walks among us, But he isn't one of us...

Seraph of the End

-Takeshi watched her leave, heading in the direction of Ichinose's office. He knew that he should not go down that hallway, it not only lead to Ichinose's office, a certain foster uncle of Hiro's worked down that hallway as well. -"I will see you later on. Either I will call for you, or I will come find you." He might have Shinoa do it, if need be, after all she knew he could not go near Guren. "It was interesting to meet you today Special Private," said in a tone that sounded friendly, and dismissive at the same time, before turning a different way and walking off.

-Guren looked up from the papers that he was working on, when Rise opened the door. "I thought I told you to leave quickly. You have been gone for an hour," he pointed out, not looking happy. "Mind explaining to me what they wanted that took you so long?"

Closing the door behind her before turning to face the other, Rise offered a reassuring smile as she put her hands together behind her back. "Ah, well, you see I bumped into Makoto-nii in the hallway and I haven't seen him since he's been so busy with Pa-- Shinya, so I got caught up talking to him." She said, hoping her lie was enought to help the man relax and not worry about her.

"They asked me to confirm some of the things they found in my files. But! I did as you told me and I didn't tell them a whole lot. I doubt they'll be calling for me again any time soon." She said, which was partially true. She and Takeshi did discuss her file, that was the whole reason he brought her to his office to begin with.

-"And I should tell you what I am working on because...?" Guren asked, moving the papers away from her. He clearly was in no mood to talk about what he had been doing while she was gone. "As for you...I am meeting with Shinya later, so I will just have to ask him about your little hang out."

-It wasn't that Guren mistrusted Rise, it was the people that he had seen her with that he didn't trust. And now that they had seen her, just like Yu, he didn't need them to get their little hooks into her.

-Takeshi ignored all the questions about Shinoa or the other Hiragis. He had planted enough information into her brain for one day. So he pulled out his Hiragi watch, just like the one Shinoa had, and checked to see what time it was. -"You should go back. I have kept you long enough. It has been long enough to worry Ichinose, if that is your concern." Takeshi took both empty cups off of the table and set them aside, where they should be cleaned, after putting his watch away. "You ready to go?" -The demon didn't seem upset about the talk about his family. He just looked calm. "I would hate to see you get in trouble with your caretaker. We can always, catch up later. You still want to see what my favorite juice is after all."

Watching as he set the empty mugs off to the side, the girl hummed in thought before she rose from her seat. "Yeah, we should probably get going before we get ourselves into trouble. And obviously we're going to do this again, you promised to play juice roulette with me!" She huffed in response as she put her hands on her hips. "I hold people to their promises."

As the two left the small cafe together, Rise placed her hands together behind her back as she leaned forward slightly, looking up at him as she cracked a grin. "You know, you're not as bad as I initally thought, Hiro Hiiragi. I look forward to getting to hang out more." She then straightened her posture, "I should really get going, Guren's going to kill me if I don't get back soon. See you later, Hiro!" She waved to him before running off towards where they'd come from.

-"I will see you later on. Either I will call for you, or I will come find you." He might have Shinoa do it, if need be, after all she knew he could not go near Guren. "It was interesting to meet you today Special Private," said in a tone that sounded friendly, and dismissive at the same time, before turning a different way and walking off.

-The black demon smirked again when she pointed out how he did not seem to care for his so called uncle. Seishiro was in uncle to a point. And they both knew that Kureto was not related to Hiro by blood, so to that ass of a major general, he thought Hiro was inferior. Sadly in Kureto's eyes Hiro had more value than Sieshiro did. -"He...has no respect for me," Takeshi explained simply. "He also thinks he has more value than others, so no one can hurt him, or talk back to him." He chuckled at all the times Seishiro and the demon had clashed, and Takeshi had won. It was something that Kureto was amused by. "So of course he has no filter, he speaks to everyone that way. He even spoke to my foster uncle that way." -Takeshi had dropped that small hint that Hiro was not originally a Hiragi. He would never say out right that he wasn't, that would get Hiro in trouble. That was the best hint that he could give.

-"She already thinks I am too sheltered. She said the other day that I needed to stop questioning how I am treated." He paused as he finished his drink. How to word what was going through his mind right now. Hiro had been going through so much. "Lord Kureto has my entire life planned out."

Assuming he'd been referring to Shinya when he said 'foster uncle', Rise felt herself frowning as she set the now empty mug down on the table between them. "What an ass. Seishiro is exactly the type of person Guren has always warned me against." She looked to him once more as she folded her arms over her chest. "I'm still trying to figure out whether or not you're going to turn out being one of those people too."

After all, she had promised the man that she wouldn't let her guard down around another Hiiragi again, she didn't want to risk another incident like the one that occured earlier that day to happen once more. She was going to stay alive, stay weary of the people around her, just like Guren asked her to.

"No offense, but I totally agree with Shinoa. If Guren ever tells me something that I disagree with I question him every time, despite him being my superior. He's also like a dad to me, so he never punishes me for questioning him. If Kureto loves you like his son, which he should, then he shouldn't get mad for you wanting to ask questions."

-"You should go back. I have kept you long enough. It has been long enough to worry Ichinose, if that is your concern." Takeshi took both empty cups off of the table and set them aside, where they should be cleaned, after putting his watch away. "You ready to go?"

-Takeshi smiled as he drank some more of his own drink. The rest of the people in the café kept their distance, yet the atmosphere was getting back to normal, apart from around their table. People seemed afraid to disturb the Hiragi. Doing that could make them vanish after all. -"I don't come here much. Things like this....are what Lord Kureto would call a waste. I only come....when I want a small change." Hiro didn't know what treats were really. The only real time he got anything like that, candy, small cakes were from Shinoa, made by her squad mate of course. Hiro knew she could not cook.

-The demon listened to Rise as she spoke about her time she spent with Guren. So he was busy huh? Busier than Hiro at times. "I never eat with Lord Kureto, the only time he wants me to do so, is when I am ordered to with General Tenri, and Uncle." He smirked a little. There was only one person he never respected enough to call lord or by rank. And that asshole was Seishiro Hiragi. -"Otherwise I am on my own, normally I am in my room. The only time I have company without being with Lord Kureto, is with my aunt. It is almost as if she is afraid to leave me alone too long." -Takeshi chuckled a little, as he finished his drink. "Actually, I am sure she would be happy that I am out and about with someone, instead of on my own, or a bodyguard."

"Really? Well, that's stupid," she commented as she leaned back in her chair slightly, "I don't think it's wasteful if it's something that makes you happy. That's like me, I like to sing, Guren says I'm really good at it. I wouldn't say it's necessarily useful but he encourages me to do it anyways. I wish Kureto would let you do more, it isn't good being locked up the way you are all the time..."

"You don't seem to care for Seishiro." She noted as she went to take a drawn out sip of her drink. "I wouldn't either. I didn't like how he talked to you in that room... I mean, I know that the Hiiragi family is known for being pretentious, but damn does he really take the cake."

She paused before quickly saying, "s-sorry, that was a bit rude. I know he's your uncle, it's just... It bothers me." Rise shook her head slightly before offering a soft sigh. "It doesn't feel right. I mean, you do a lot of work for them, or at least that's what I've been noticing as we continue talking, and yet he still treats you poorly. He could at least try masking his disgust, y'know?"

"Normally when you're at our age you're easily influenced by those whom have authority over you. You'll mimic their behavior, pick up their little quirks... I'm sure Shinoa understands that too, to a degree, and that's why she worries for you so much. She probably doesn't want you going into being an adult thinking that what you go through day to day is normal." She looked up at him now as she offered a kind smile.

-"He...has no respect for me," Takeshi explained simply. "He also thinks he has more value than others, so no one can hurt him, or talk back to him." He chuckled at all the times Seishiro and the demon had clashed, and Takeshi had won. It was something that Kureto was amused by. "So of course he has no filter, he speaks to everyone that way. He even spoke to my foster uncle that way."

-Takeshi had dropped that small hint that Hiro was not originally a Hiragi. He would never say out right that he wasn't, that would get Hiro in trouble. That was the best hint that he could give.

-The newest game had just come out. Hiro of course had played part of it before. As a part of the Hiragi family his opinion was something the creator had wanted to hear so badly. So testing it, also gave him a free copy of the finished product. -"I'm logging in," he called out to his mom, before he heard her leave. He might still be playing when she came back. -A few more minutes. -Hiro smiled when it turned to noon. "Link start," -Everything was a go. When they asked for his id he typed in Takeshi. -And than he was there in the place he had wanted to be back in since the testing was over. "I'm back," he said with a smile. Heading off from the main square.

Everyone had been raving about the newest gaming phenomenon, it was going to be revolutionary in the world of online gaming. Rise hadn't been any different than all of her friends in school that were hyping the game up, she had even asked her fathers to buy it for her when it was still in it's BETA build. Having been surprised on the day of it's release with the nerve gear and game, the girl enthusiastically thanked her fathers before she'd run off to get it set up.

Once everything was put together the way it was supposed to be, she gave a triumphant smile before turning her head towards her bedroom door. "Dad! Papa! I'm gonna try the game out!" She called to them before sitting down and putting the gear on her head.

As she got logged into the game and it asked her to create an avatar, followed by asking for her username, the brunette hummed to herself as she entered the settings she wanted. Just as she finished entering her presets, the girl found herself being transported into a different world completely.

It was unlike anything the girl had ever seen before. "Oh wow... It's so realistic..." She mused to herself as she now wondered through the city. After just a short while of walking, someone had bumped into her and knocked her to the ground. Before she could get a grasp on what happened, there was a voice asking her if she was okay as they offered her their hand.

-"You should be more careful," he remarked to the girl, when she was back on her feet.

-He looked her over with a smile on his face. Her avatar looked nice. Wasn't a bad choice. She was going to need help though if she sucked at the game.

-Takeshi laughed a little. The people in the café with them, left the two alone, clearly it was either out of respect or....maybe it was fear. Takeshi could sense both. He paid no attention to it. He was after all not here to strike fear into the hearts of anyone. -He was here to play friend. He took a sip of his drink, hiding his small fangs as he did so. "It is not that hard, it just takes practice." He stopped talking for a moment, thinking of the best way to explain why he could do this, but not have much choices in his life. "Lord Kureto, he doesn't have me followed all the time. Coming here was a way to blow off steam as I worked. I could be somewhere that was not my office, or my room." -The demon glanced at everyone around them. He motioned to a nearby table. Sitting down there himself, eyes still on Rise. "You asked if it is normal for people to just walk in and make their own drinks, the answer is no. But the owners of this place are too...scared of making my drink wrong to stop me." -Takeshi laughed a little. Everyone was scared of him, apart from this girl it seemed. "You should drink it, before it get's cold."

There was a heavy feeling in the air, Rise couldn't help but notice the people avoiding looking at the two. Frowning softly, the girl looked as though she were getting ready to say something before he guided her over to a nearby table. Sitting down, she looked down at the little drawing in the mug once more before looking up to meet eyes with Takeshi.

"I... I could tell." She responded as she glanced around at all the people that were still actively avoiding looking at them. "It seems like you scare everyone in here. If only they knew the big softy you really were." She teased lightly, before he reminded her to drink her latte. "Oh, right!"

Lifting the mug to her lips, Rise watched the steam rising off the drink with a thoughtful expression before she took a sip. Her eyes widened in surprise before she looked at him. "This is a lot better than that stuff in the can! I bet you get to drink this all the time." She smiled at him before looking back down into her mug. "I don't really get to have treats like this much. At most Guren gives me some change to get a juice or sweets, sometimes I'll get lucky and he comes home early, and he makes me dinner that we eat together. He's always so busy with work that I spend most nights alone."

-"I don't come here much. Things like this....are what Lord Kureto would call a waste. I only come....when I want a small change." Hiro didn't know what treats were really. The only real time he got anything like that, candy, small cakes were from Shinoa, made by her squad mate of course. Hiro knew she could not cook.

-The demon listened to Rise as she spoke about her time she spent with Guren. So he was busy huh? Busier than Hiro at times. "I never eat with Lord Kureto, the only time he wants me to do so, is when I am ordered to with General Tenri, and Uncle." He smirked a little. There was only one person he never respected enough to call lord or by rank. And that asshole was Seishiro Hiragi.

-"Otherwise I am on my own, normally I am in my room. The only time I have company without being with Lord Kureto, is with my aunt. It is almost as if she is afraid to leave me alone too long."

-Takeshi laughed a little as he slowly walked, with his hands in the jacket pockets he was wearing. He was glad that she had said yes. It was something that both Hiro and the demon enjoyed to do. They were just not allowed to do it often. After all Kureto hardly gave him anything like a latte to drink. It was an indulgence that the teen could live without. -"There is coffee in it," Takeshi started, "However, there is also milk in it. Regular coffee like the ones in the can, don't." Of course they had to deal with boxed milk mostly, but he could still steam it, and use it. It wasn't that hard. -The black demon series demon walked into a store. The people inside bowed to him, clearly knowing by his looks alone, who had come in. He just waved them off as he went over to the machine. No one bothered to offer to help him, maybe they were afraid, or maybe they knew he would just rather do it himself. Starting up the latte machine he got everything he needed. He wondered for a moment as to what to do for Rise's drink. He smirked as a thought came to mind. -When everything was ready, Takeshi started making the art. It was clear he had done this many times before, with how his hands skillfully moved. He offered her the drink when he was done. The art on top was a white tiger. After all they had been talking about Shinya Hiragi earlier.

-"Enjoy," he teased, starting to make another for himself. The art on that one ended up to look like a branch with cherry blossoms on it.

As they walked to the small cafe together, Rise couldn't help but wonder how often the boy had come here. "Milk?" She asked as she looked over at him, seeming curious but also confused. However, it was brief as she gave a knowing gasp. "Oh! Milk! That's that thick white liquid, right?" She asked now, clearly proud that she actually knew that one.

When they reached the building, the girl found herself looking around in wonder, she'd never been in a building that smelled that nice, let alone one dedicated to making coffee. Noticing as Takeshi walked over to a machine and started operating it on his own, she felt her head tilt just slightly. "Is it normal to just walk up and serve yourself?" She asked, clearly she was unaware of how those types of places worked.

-He was here to play friend. He took a sip of his drink, hiding his small fangs as he did so. "It is not that hard, it just takes practice." He stopped talking for a moment, thinking of the best way to explain why he could do this, but not have much choices in his life. "Lord Kureto, he doesn't have me followed all the time. Coming here was a way to blow off steam as I worked. I could be somewhere that was not my office, or my room."

-The demon glanced at everyone around them. He motioned to a nearby table. Sitting down there himself, eyes still on Rise. "You asked if it is normal for people to just walk in and make their own drinks, the answer is no. But the owners of this place are too...scared of making my drink wrong to stop me."

-Takeshi took the coins as he thought. When she mentioned that she had never had a latte before, that got him curious. He knew a place near by, they never bothered him when he came in. Who would when you had a glorious Hiragi come in. Maybe they could do something, that Hiro considered fun, in his small way. -"You want to see latte art, how about I show you," the demon offered, giving her money back to her. "I am not sure how skilled my foster uncle is, but I am able to do it." Actually Takeshi knew exactly how well Shinya could do it, that is who Hiro learned it from, well got the idea from. -"We can always come back to try juice another day," Takeshi remarked. "This will be my treat. The shop that I go to does not mind me, and you will get to see someone do it."

-Of course if was just an offer to see if she really wanted to see such a skill, just one more link to Hiro's past no one but Shinoa knew about anymore. "If you don't want to, that is fine. And we can just play the juice game."

She looked to the other as he gave her her coins back and she tilted her head slightly before he started talking. "You can do latte art? Really?" She seemed genuinely amazed, clearly interested in seeing his skills just by the way she reacted. "I mean, if you want to do that instead I'm willing to put the juice off for another day, I've always wanted to see someone do latte art. Well, not always, but since I found out what it was."

Noting how he'd mentioned they could always get the juice together another day, Rise found herself smiling. Their interactions must have been going well, maybe she really had been able to make a new friend. It was strange, earlier that day she was sure they definitely weren't going to get along, but now... she could see them having a long time friendship.

-"There is coffee in it," Takeshi started, "However, there is also milk in it. Regular coffee like the ones in the can, don't." Of course they had to deal with boxed milk mostly, but he could still steam it, and use it. It wasn't that hard.

-The black demon series demon walked into a store. The people inside bowed to him, clearly knowing by his looks alone, who had come in. He just waved them off as he went over to the machine. No one bothered to offer to help him, maybe they were afraid, or maybe they knew he would just rather do it himself. Starting up the latte machine he got everything he needed. He wondered for a moment as to what to do for Rise's drink. He smirked as a thought came to mind.

-When everything was ready, Takeshi started making the art. It was clear he had done this many times before, with how his hands skillfully moved. He offered her the drink when he was done. The art on top was a white tiger. After all they had been talking about Shinya Hiragi earlier.

-Takeshi actually smiled at that. Of course she wouldn't know what ham was, let alone the name. Most rations were simple, unless you were an officer or a Hiragi. He had to think of a way to explain what that was, on terms that someone who has never eaten it before would understand. -" Ham is meat from a pig," he said simply. "Different cuts of the animal were called different things. Such as part of it was used to make bacon." Takeshi shrugged, he sounded as if he was speaking from a textbook. He hadn't had something like that ever. It was just part of Hiro's memories. "As I said however, I haven't had such a thing since I was little, too little to understand why I was even given it."

-Takeshi looked up at the sky for a moment as he thought about what was one of the first things Kureto had done to Hiro after taking him in. And that answer was horrible honestly. This boy went from being smiles and happy, eating curry and rice, to being in the dark not asking what was in the bowl he was being fed. It wasn't like it was slop, it just wasn't fancy either, unless he was ordered to eat with the family. Those meals were rare however. -"If I am not drinking teas, I drink coffee, well lattes actually. But that has nothing to do with Lord Kureto. I normally get them when I am out. Otherwise I only eat and drink what he orders me to, says it helps me stay fit." -In truth such a diet, was not only easy to do, it helped with his experimentations. Some times they would slip something in and Hiro wouldn't even know, and he would wake up in a lab. He was never scared, but Takeshi would be furious. The only person the demon listened to was Kureto, for Hiro's sake. -The demon glanced back at Rise. "It sounds like you have had it rough. Thankfully you have someone who cares."

As he attempted to explain what the meat he'd mentioned was, Rise found herself even more confused. "What's a pig?" She couldn't help but wonder, but she chose to remain silent as to not show how sheltered she had been growing up. She instead chose to listen to what the other had to say, as if he were reading it from a book.

"Ohh, I've never had a latte before! But, Shinya talks about how he used to do this like... drawing thing on them before the catastrophe. Which, that's just crazy! I wish he could show me some time, but he's always so busy anymore." She looked to him again as she smiled. "Are lattes a kind of coffee? I've had the canned stuff before, of coffee I mean, and it's pretty bitter. I always tease Guren when I see him drinking one." That much was true, she would always joke about how much that bitter drink suited the man that was almost always in a bitter mood.

Laughing softly as she thought about the man and her simple interactions with him, the girl seemed content. "Yeah, I got lucky... I didn't think people like Guren really existed in this world, it's weird to have a man in your life that doesn't stare at you thinking about what he can do next. A-anyways, I shouldn't think about that anymore."

-"You want to see latte art, how about I show you," the demon offered, giving her money back to her. "I am not sure how skilled my foster uncle is, but I am able to do it." Actually Takeshi knew exactly how well Shinya could do it, that is who Hiro learned it from, well got the idea from.

-"We can always come back to try juice another day," Takeshi remarked. "This will be my treat. The shop that I go to does not mind me, and you will get to see someone do it."

-Takeshi looked at Rise as they walked. He could tell her about what he knew of Hiro from before, or the fact that Hiro could do late art. But those weren't really good conversation starters, nor did they make sense growing up as a Hiragi. After all Kureto didn't let him indulge much.

-"There is not much to tell," Takeshi finally admitted. "You seem to have something special with Ichinose." He paused as he thought about Kureto. "Lord Kureto, he....always expects the best of me. I don't ever recall him saying that he was proud." Takeshi knew of course the only real moment, the moment Hiro went from a normal boy, to a cursed gear wielder. It was the moment the Hiragi general realized how useful a tool the boy could be. -He did smiled a little as he thought about this girl's attempt to find something Hiro liked. A thought came to mind, something Hiro loved back when he was six. "I don't get to eat it anymore. Since Lord Kureto has a diet for me, but when I was little, I had a grilled cheese with ham, and I recalled enjoying it. I must have gotten it as a treat for something I did."

Looking over at him as he spoke of how Kureto never tried connecting with him on a deeper level, Rise felt bad. He'd mentioned Guren, her relationship with him seeming close, and she almost felt guilty. She knew what it was like to have a father that didn't truly care for or love her, she'd been in Hiro's shoes before. It made her heart ache.

"Ham?" She inquired now as she tilted her head slightly. Rations were strict after the catastrophe, so luxury things like meat or really any type of animal product were extremely scarce. "What's that? Some kind of strange paste they had before the catastrophe?"

-" Ham is meat from a pig," he said simply. "Different cuts of the animal were called different things. Such as part of it was used to make bacon." Takeshi shrugged, he sounded as if he was speaking from a textbook. He hadn't had something like that ever. It was just part of Hiro's memories. "As I said however, I haven't had such a thing since I was little, too little to understand why I was even given it."

-Takeshi looked up at the sky for a moment as he thought about what was one of the first things Kureto had done to Hiro after taking him in. And that answer was horrible honestly. This boy went from being smiles and happy, eating curry and rice, to being in the dark not asking what was in the bowl he was being fed. It wasn't like it was slop, it just wasn't fancy either, unless he was ordered to eat with the family. Those meals were rare however.

-"If I am not drinking teas, I drink coffee, well lattes actually. But that has nothing to do with Lord Kureto. I normally get them when I am out. Otherwise I only eat and drink what he orders me to, says it helps me stay fit."

-In truth such a diet, was not only easy to do, it helped with his experimentations. Some times they would slip something in and Hiro wouldn't even know, and he would wake up in a lab. He was never scared, but Takeshi would be furious. The only person the demon listened to was Kureto, for Hiro's sake.

-Takeshi had to think for a moment. Hiro didn't really have a favorite anything. He was just took what was given to him. He never questioned anything. He even took being told that he was going to marry some strange girl without even batting an eye. He was just an experiment, that they were turning into a stud horse.

-"I don't know," Takeshi admitted. Might as well tell the truth. This was something Hiro had forgotten from all the memory wipes, and as he got older, he was just given whatever and told to eat or drink it. -"I don't get a choice really. I take what they give me. It is what my father had taught me to do. Waste nothing, no time to be picky. I am normally given teas mostly." -It was just one more reason Shinoa had called him isolated, and sheltered. He didn't even know that he could ask for something else, without getting into trouble. And Hiro just thought that was how people grew up, never having a favorite anything. Just taking in what you were told to do. -Just being asked what his favorite juice was, showed Takeshi how much Hiro had been isolated.

When he began telling her how he didn't really get any choices when it came to his food, relationships, or just life in general, Rise felt a frown tugging at her lips as she looked away from him. He reminded her much of her younger self, the one that was always locked away in that house, the hours she would be trapped in those labs... it made her sad. She didn't like the thought of someone else having to go through that same fate. She had also, at one point, lacked the freedom of choice. She'd only seen the sun maybe once or twice before Guren came to take her away, so she'd found herself wondering if Hiro was in the same boat.

"Hmmm, well, then, we'll just have to buy you all of the juices in the vending machine and then you can pick your favorite based off that." She said decidedly, her head nodding slightly as if she were confirming her choice based off that alone. "And then I'll just drink whatever you don't like, that way we don't waste any of them."

-"There is not much to tell," Takeshi finally admitted. "You seem to have something special with Ichinose." He paused as he thought about Kureto. "Lord Kureto, he....always expects the best of me. I don't ever recall him saying that he was proud." Takeshi knew of course the only real moment, the moment Hiro went from a normal boy, to a cursed gear wielder. It was the moment the Hiragi general realized how useful a tool the boy could be.