#ryumimi

Tengen was minding his own business as other kids played around him so cheerily, but he wasn't as happy as they were. He was drawing quietly by himself when his pointy ears caught adults' conversation.

"Look at that boy over there."

"I heard that the social services took him from his mother."

"And he is a Ryumimi? Poor thing…"

Tengen could hear them, he might have been a child and a Ryumimi, but that didn't make him deaf or stupid. While the adults liked to talk about him and his poor mother who treated him so badly, they never really made any effort to get to know him.

All they saw was a troublesome Ryumimi kid, too hard to handle to be taken or hosted by anyone. Tengen hadn't been there, in social services' care for long, but anything was better than being with his mother…

"Hello there?"

Tengen flinched as a soft voice spoke to him and he turned to see you standing there next to him. The boy squinted his red eyes at you and you smiled as you bent down so you were closer to his eye level.

"What are you drawing?" You asked and Tengen frowned as he looked at his crude drawing of his mother, or more likely a monster, haunting a small kid in a drawing that was supposed to be Tengen himself.

"…My family…" He replied quietly and you hummed as you looked at his drawing, "You're very good at drawing."

Tengen nodded quietly and you hummed as you smiled at him, "May I ask something?"

The boy nodded and you tilted your head, "Do you like it here, Tengen?"

He wondered briefly how you knew his name, but he figured out that maybe one of the caretakers had told it to you.

"It's…" He chose his words carefully, "It's passable…"

"I see," You nodded, "Listen, I was wondering… Would you like to come and try living with me?"

"…" The small child frowned as he stared at his drawing, "I… I don't know…"

"It's not permanent, so don't worry." You smiled gently, "If you don't like it at my place, you can return here if that makes you feel better?"

"Why?" Tengen asked and you blinked, confused, "Why what?"

"Why are you picking me?" He asked as he looked around at all the normal kids who didn't have scaly tails or horns, "Don't you want something easier than a Ryumimi like me…?"

You looked taken aback by his words and Tengen was ready for you to realize your mistake and go speak and offer home to some other child… But instead, you smiled again, "Nope! I'd like to offer you a home, even if it would be just temporary?"

…For some reason, Tengen nodded and your smile brightened as you clapped your hands together, "Marvelous! Would you be alright moving with me today already or is that too fast?"

"Stupid kid!"

"M- Mom-!"

"Don't 'mom' me!" The dark creature screamed, "I have no son, only a horrendous monster!"

"No." He shook his head, "I'll come with you."

So, you and Tengen went to the office and spoke with the staff… But Tengen wondered how they just let you take him? Shouldn't the staff do some research about you or such? Who would let any random person walk in and take a child with them?

"Finally choosing a kid, huh, miss?" The man behind the huge metal desk asked and you nodded, "Better late than never."

"And you're picking… Tengen was it?" The staff asked and the young boy nodded as he bashfully hid behind you. The man nodded as he signed some papers and pushed them towards you, "Sign there and he is yours to take home."

"Thank you." You grabbed the pen and signed the papers needed to release Tengen into your care.

"Thank you, now you're free to go," The man nodded as he grabbed the papers and slipped them into a folder. You smiled as you looked at Tengen, "Do you need to get your stuff?"

"No," The young Ryumimi shook his head, "I don't have anything I like here."

"I see." You frowned a little, but smiled before Tengen could see, "Then, we can later go shop for something you might like?"

The boy nodded quietly and the two of you left the building and walked to your car. Tengen reached for the front passenger's door, but you opened the door to backseat for him.

"I'm sitting behind?" The Ryumimi asked and you nodded happily.

"Don't you know?" You chuckled, "All the important people sit in the backseat."

"They do?" Tengen had never heard of that and you nodded, "Yes! Presidents and royals always sit behind!"

The information warmed his heart a little and he even smiled a little as he climbed on the backseat and put on his seatbelt. You were happy and carefully closed the door before slipping into the driver's seat and the two of you took off.

As you drove, Tengen looked out of the window, observing people on the sidewalks or in other cars. You found this cute, and could barely wait to introduce Tengen to his new, and hopefully lasting home.

"If you want, we can go shopping tomorrow?" You asked as you looked at him from the mirror and the young boy looked at you in confusion, "Shop?"

"Yes!" You smiled, but you couldn't help but notice that his clothes barely fit him, "Clothes and maybe some toys if you'd like some?"

"Toys?" Just like the ones that other kids played with? Tengen wanted to play also, but the other kids screamed at him that he would taint the toys with his 'germs'.

You nodded, "Yes! Do you like toys?"

"I… I don't know? Maybe?"

"You can also watch TV if you'd like to?"

"I…" Tengen nodded, "I'd like that…"

Finally, you made it to your home, a sweet little house in the quiet-looking neighborhood where people seemed to keep to themselves.

Tengen jumped out of the car and followed you inside. He was stunned as he looked around, stunned by how clean and homely your home felt to him.

"Welcome to your new home Tengen!" You said cheerfully, but the young boy couldn't help the memories that surfaced.

Tengen whimpered as he walked past many empty beer cans, trying to make it to the kitchen without alarming the dark monster that had fallen asleep on the couch, a half-empty can of beer still hanging in its hand.

Maybe the monster wouldn't notice if he took a small piece of bread for himself to sate his hunger?

You and Tengen both flinched when you heard his stomach growling out loud and the little boy frowned as he pressed his hands against his stomach, trying to silence his stomach, but you already figured out that he was hungry.

"Hungry?" You asked even if it was obvious. Tengen nodded quietly and you smiled as you walked to the TV and patted the couch close to it, "Come and take a seat."

"I…"

"Get off the couch you little monster! You're gonna stain it!" The dark monster shouted as it swatted Tengen and chased him away, "Little bastard!"

The young boy looked at you, trying to figure out if this was a trap… But you just pated the seat and finally, Tengen accepted it and sat down. You were happy as you grabbed a remote controller and turned your TV on, immediately opening one of the streaming programs you had and going to the children's section.

"What would you like to watch?" You asked, and the boy watched in awe at the huge selection of shows there were… Only to get embarrassed when he didn't recognize any of them, "I… I don't know…?"

"Well, should we start with something everyone loves?" You asked and Tengen looked at you in slight confusion, "What is that?"

"Pokémon!" You cheered as you clicked on the show and put it on, "You're gonna love it, it was my whole childhood."

Tengen watched eyes wide as the show started and you handed him the remote, "Here you go! I'll go prepare something for you to eat if that is okay?"

The boy nodded and you smiled as you left the living room and went to the kitchen to prepare something for the young boy in your care.

Half an hour passed and Tengen was in awe as he watched your childhood series. He never got to watch TV before coming to your care-!

"Tengen, dinner is done!" You called and the young looked at your direction before jumping off the couch and approaching your kitchen area.

"Please, sit," You smiled as you grabbed two bowls from the cabinet and the boy did as you told him to. He sniffed the air and he could feel himself almost drooling as he smelled something delicious in the air.

"Here you go, eat as much as you like!" You said cheerfully and Tengen looked with his eyes wide open how you set a bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce before him and the young boy could feel his mouth really water as he smelled the delicious meal.

"Can I…" The boy swallowed as he looked at you, "Can I really eat all this?"

"Of course," You smiled, "There is even more if you want?"

"Did you steal from the fridge again?!" The monster shouted and Tengen cried, "I- I was hungry-!"

"You eat what I give you!"

Tenven swallowed as he grabbed himself a fork and used it to roll some spaghetti that he stuck into his mouth. The boy's eyes widened as if it were the best thing he had ever tasted.

He started to eat quickly and furiously, as if the monster would come out any moment and take his bowl of food away. You chuckled a little as you ate your own bowl and watched the boy eat with a huge appetite, "Is it really that good?"

"Yes!" Tengen shouted with his mouth half-full and in no time he was done. There was sauce all over his face and he even licked the bowl clean. Honestly, this boy had no manners, but you didn't mind it one bit, you were just happy to see that he was fed.

"M- May I get more?" He asked as he raised his empty bowl, but the dish slipped from his hands and it was like time slowed down as the bowl fell on the floor and shattered into pieces.

"Ah-!" Tengen froze in horror as he realized that he had just broken your dish.

"You fucking brat!" The dark monster shouted furiously as she pointed at the broken plate on the floor, "Look what you did! This plate cost a fortune!"

"I- I'm sorry-!" Tengen tried to apologize, only to be smacked on the cheek by this dark creature, "Sorry won't fix the plate!"

"I- I'm sorry, it was an accident, I swear!" Tengen shouted as he dropped to his knees in the middle of the broken shards and started to collect them in his hand desperately, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry-!"

"Tenge-!"

"Ah-!" The small boy winched as a shard cut his finger, drawing blood.

"Tengen!" You shouted and the poor boy flinched so badly before he curled on himself, covering before you as he raised his hands to protect himself from your punishment…!

You noticed this immediately and you were filled with anger towards that person who made this sweet young boy fear so badly.

"Are you alright?!" You asked instead, worried sick as you picked up the young boy and set him back on the chair. The boy whimpered as he tried his hardest not to cry.

"Don't cry you little shit!" The monster snapped at him, "Crying won't save you!"

"I'm sorry…!" The young boy wept and you hushed him gently as you tried to get him to stop crying, "It's okay Tengen, everything is alright."

The Ryumimi kept weeping and you frowned, feeling your heart break for him. You looked at the shards on the floor and then at Tengen, "Sit on the chair so you won't step on any shards. I'll clean this quickly."

Your words stung Tengen's heart and he raised his head enough to show you his tear-filled red eyes as he looked at you pitifully, "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, I know."

"A- Aren't you mad?"

"Why?" You were honestly confused, "Why would I be mad at you?"

"I… I broke your bowl…?"

"It's okay," You smiled as you gently petted Tengen's tear-stained cheek, "You're far more important than some bowl. Besides, it was an accident, it wasn't like you did it on purpose."

The Ryumimi couldn't believe what he was hearing and a new set of tears rose to his eyes as he thought of the day he had and how you made it much better.

Without a warning, Tengen jumped from his seat and hugged you, burying his teary face into your shoulder.

"Tengen?" You gasped, but the small boy cried against you.

"Please… I know I'm hideous… But please, don't take me back there…!" He sobbed, "I- I like it here…!"

Your lower lip started to quiver as you tried your hardest not to cry. You wrapped your hands around Tengen and held him tenderly and lovingly in your arms.

"You're safe here Tengen… No one is going to ever hurt you again…"

After that day, slowly but surely, the monster at the back of Tengen's head grew weaker and weaker as you took care of him and showed him what a loving home was like.

Instead of drawing himself with the sad frown with the dark monster hovering behind him in each picture, he started to draw himself smiling with you next to him.

With time, Tengen learned that the reason you had taken him was that you used to be a resident in the same social services where he was taken and where you picked him up.

You had gone through abuse during your childhood and always wanted to give a better life to someone who had gone through what you had and was in pain like you used to be.

You were there when Tengen started first grade, taking pictures of your sweet boy's first day and you were there taking pictures when he graduated as the best amongst his peers from university.

You were always there for him, no matter what happened or no matter what was said. You stood up to him when people judged him due to his tail and horns and you were there even when he got mad at you during his rebellious teenage years.

Later in life, Tengen learned that his father had left his mother due to her alcohol abuse, but that might have been just an excuse to get away from that woman.

While Tengen understood, he also couldn't stand the idea of how his father didn't stick around long enough to even get to know his son. And more than that, he left Tengen to his mother while fully knowing what a monster she was.

Now, after many years, Tengen was a young adult moving out to live on his own. You had been an amazing parent to him, helping him to find a place of his own, and now helping him to carry the stuff he had to his new apartment.

"I'm so proud of you Tengen." You smiled, and the Ryumimi smiled also, but he could feel sadness also as he watched how the last 18 years had taken their toll on you as small smile wrinkles over your face, but you were still pretty young and lively.

"Thank you!" The handsome young man grinned, "I wouldn't have made it without you!"

"So sweet!" You giggled but that smile of yours died out as you reached for your jacket's pocket and pulled out a small envelope.

"What is that?" Tengen asked and you sighed, "It's your mother's contact info."

The Ryumimi almost froze as he heard you mention his mother and you noticed, "She sent this to you."

"What does it say?" The man asked as he accepted the envelope, but you shook your head, "I… It's better that you read it yourself."

The man frowned and opened the envelope, quickly reading over what his mother had written to him. His eyes widened. Apparently, his mother had turned a new page in life. She stopped drinking and was in a good program to prevent her from relying on alcohol anymore. That, and she wanted to see her son.

"Well…?" You looked at the young man worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"I am," Tengen stated and then ripped the paper in half, and like that wasn't enough, he ripped it again and again until it couldn't be salvaged anymore.

"T- Tengen?" You blinked in shock and he smiled at you, "Yes?"

"You… That was your mother's-!"

"She isn't my mother." The Ryumimi stated, "She never was."

"But…" You were saying when Tengen stepped towards you and wrapped his strong arms around you, holding you lovingly in his arms like you used to hold him.

"You're my real mother…" He whispered and your eyes widened as tears rose to them and you started crying, hugging your son as best as you could with your smaller and shorter arms.