Nabari no Ō Halcyon

**Halcyon**

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"_I may not know much about what you're going through, but...if you ever need a place to stay, or just feel like you're going to cry, your Aunt Hanabusa will always be there with a great big hug!"_

Tobari groaned as he listened to Hana clatter about in the other room, pulling down spare futons and talking happily at their two unexpected teenage guests.

"Auntie, I think you broke him," Miharu's flat voice intoned. Through the open doorway, Tobari could see out of the kitchen and into the living room, where his troublesome student was staring at his taller and—admittedly—rather frazzled-looking companion with an odd expression that might, just might be something akin to concern.

He closed his eyes.

_Why? Why are they suddenly...? I'm sure Yoite must have threatened him, and yet..._

Hana's happy laughter filtered through the wall panels, ringing and sunny. "You're so _funny, _Miharu-kun!"

A thoughtful pause. Tobari could see her without even opening his eyes, fingers tapping absently against her leg and lips pursed.

"Do you think you'll need more blankets?"

"No thanks, Hana-san. I think we'll be fine."

"Ahhh! I almost forgot! Here, let me show you where the bathroom is. There should be some spare toothbrushes and things under the sink..."

He listened to her patter away, full of energy even having just returned from a long excavation, followed by more hesitant footsteps, and felt a smile tug at his lips against his will. He was tired all the time now, bone tired. Miharu had an alarming lack of desire for self-preservation, Raimei was obsessed with finding her brother and blind to the world in her rage. Kouichi was...well, Kouichi. He was clever and quiet and strange, but most of all, Kouichi never involved himself in others' business. Kouichi was an enigma. And while that was an asset in its own way, sometimes, just sometimes he wished there was someone he could talk to. He felt so alone.

Well...that wasn't entirely true. He knew Hana was always willing to listen. Even though she couldn't understand parts of his life, she had always supported him unconditionally. But that unconditional love was also the reason he would never burden her with the stains upon his soul. He loved her too much to ever place her in the way of all the dangers of the Nabari world.

_Hana..._

He could still remember the first time they'd met.

_It was one of those days that felt like you'd dreamt it. The sun wasn't particularly overbearing; hazy clouds drifted, but there was enough gilded light to make everything look brighter, like it was shining from the inside. _

_He sat on the fountain's rim and closed his eyes, watching the dappled spots of brightness that lingered behind his eyelids. He reached for a cigarette but stopped himself—it was too nice a day to spoil with his nasty habit. _

_A child's delighted laughter prompted him to open his eyes, curious and slightly self-berating. He'd let his guard down...what was he thinking? But these days, he felt more and more that he didn't belong in the shinobi world. He wasn't ruthless, wasn't a cold killer. But he couldn't just leave it either._

_He shook his head in frustration, banishing his gloomy thoughts and looking around the square. As he watched, the laughing girl was tugged away indulgently by her young parents. One boy was tearing scraps of bread to feed to some of the doves that the local shrines sometimes raised; an elderly couple sat contentedly on a bench. The ice cream vendor's business was booming, he noted with an unconscious grin. He'd run to that same cheery man on weekends as a small boy to buy pistachio ice cream with his hard-earned allowance._

_He stood with a heavy sigh and began to walk away slowly, leaving the square behind. _

_And she walked out of the boutique on the corner with a smile and a backwards wave, right into him and his lonely world with a tumble of shopping bags._

That had, without question, been the best day of his life.

"_Oh! I'm so sorry, sir!" And she grinned rather sheepishly, hair tumbling around her face as she knelt on the ground. "I really should look where I'm going..."_

_He laughed despite himself, crouching to help. "Don't worry about it."_

_Standing, he offered her the last package. She glanced at him in surprise from behind the precarious tower, toffee eyes warming and crinkling at the edges with a well-accustomed smile._

"_Thank you, mister...?"_

"_Tobari," he said. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Tobari Durandal."_

_She giggled. "Pleased to meet you, Tobari, even if I did plow into you like a drunken duck."_

_He froze for a second, mind blanking. A...drunken duck...? How did she even...?_

"_I'm Hanabusa Seki, but that's long and boring, so why don't you just call me Hana? Everyone does."_

_He couldn't help smiling, somehow. "Can I help you with your bags, then, Hana-san?" _

_She blinked in a sort of pleading gratitude. "Oh, would you? I don't mean to impose. But I always seem to overdo it." _

_She laughed guiltily, and he was utterly charmed. He'd never met anyone so open and full of life. And the sun struck her hair and made it sparkle, and she seemed almost lit from within with happiness._

"_It's no trouble. Here, let me walk you home."_

"_Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of taking so much of your time..."_

"_It's no trouble at all. In fact, I insist. It's too lovely a day to walk alone, don't you agree?"_

"Tobari?"

He started at the light touch on his shoulder and looked up to see Hana's knowingly smiling face.

"Thinking hard?"

He huffed lightly. "I guess so."

Her grin broadened, prompting him to say more without her even having to say a single word.

"I was remembering when I first ran into you."

"And here I was thinking I was the one who ran into you!"

"You're right, as always," he acquiesced with an involuntarily smile.

"Of course I am," she said with mock indignation, plopping down to sit in his lap. "A woman's intuition is never wrong!"

He buried his face in her shoulder suddenly, smelling the rose-scented shampoo she always used and that had been missing for far too long. She patted his hair quietly.

"I don't know how you do it," he confessed. "You're always happy, without a care in the world. Even though you know about all the awful things I've done, what a horrible person I am—"

She jabbed him sharply in the side with a finger. "Stop that right now, Tobari."

Taking a deep breath, she continued forcefully, not leaving him any room to argue. "You've made mistakes. Everyone has. Bad mistakes, sure, but you're such a _good_ person, Tobari! You don't see it, but truly, you're one of the best people I've ever met. And...I'm happy, yes. Why shouldn't I be? I live with the man I love, even if he's a bit of a dolt sometimes. I get to have an interesting job that I genuinely enjoy. This world is not ending. You are not ending. Things keep going, and every day is beautiful; you just have to know what to look at."

Standing, she grabbed his hands and tugged him up, not letting go. "I know you're worried, and you have plenty of reasons to be. But you have to understand, Tobari. Everyone has secrets and experiences that no one else can share. That boy in there—Yoite—it doesn't matter that he's some dangerous part of the Nabari world. He's still just a boy. And he's hurting an awful lot. Anyone can see that. And Miharu...I truly believe he's doing what he believes is right, choosing his best option. Don't you trust your student to follow the right path?"

"I...well, yes..."

The corners of her eyes crinkled again, indulgently. "Then leave him be. Things have a way of working out in the end."

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him sweetly. Tobari sighed.

_Everything makes sense when she's around, and the world is a better place._

"What would I do without you?"

"Well, you'd probably starve. I mean, look at this! What have you been eating all this time? I bet you ate out the whole time I was gone. You did, didn't you! That's it, come here. Eat your bean jelly, Tobari!"

"_Hana...!"_

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Nabari world, much to my dismay.


End file.

Nabari no Ō, Hurt-Comfort, Romance