~"I hate you...!"~

Golden eyes widened in complete shock, staring at her teenage son in utter disbelief.
    "You don't mean that! After all I've done for you, you're going to tell the one person who saved you that you hate her?!" Night's anger worsened, narrowing her eyes in rage.
    "I didn't ask to be saved...! I would've been fine living on my own...!" Jin retaliated, hands clenched into fists. "It would've been better than living in your care for over two years...!"
    "Why are you being so ungrateful towards me?! I took you in because I saw myself in your situation! I didn't want you going through everything you did all by yourself!"
    "I don't need you...! I shouldn't even be alive...!"

A hand suddenly came across his cheek quickly, green eyes widening and filling with tears. Memories of his father fronted in his mind and his breath hitched heavily in his throat as he sniffled.
    "I never ever want to hear you say that again, do you hear me?" She wasn't yelling anymore but she was still infuriated, reaching forward and taking her son's hand in hers.
    "N-no...!" Jin suddenly cried out, slapping her hand away in fear. "D-don't touch me...!" He was on the verge of a panic attack, having not felt one since the Talisborne situation.
    "Jin?"
    "N-no, I didn't do anything wrong...! I-I'm sorry...!" Ghostly pale hands came up and gripped his hair and his neck, the teenager sobbing and collapsing in front of her.
    "Jin, no, baby! You're okay, look at me, you're fine!" Night dropped to her knees and reached forward, only for her hand to be slapped away yet again.

He got up too fast for the young mother to comprehend, taking off in the opposite direction in a panic.
    "Jin!" She called, getting up and attempting to follow him. That was short-lived due to the crowds, almost immediately losing sight of her son. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." She tried pushing her way through the crowds, tears filling her eyes when she couldn't see him anymore.
    "Night?" Phi suddenly called behind her, the blonde swinging around quacking to meet his mismatched gaze.
    "You... This is all your fault!" Her fist came quickly at him and he caught it with ease, looking down at her with a sad look. "Let me go!"
    "You need to calm down, your anger is clouding your reasoning."
    "Fuck you, I just watched my son run away from me! I need to find him!"
    "You need to let him calm himself and come back on his own accord. You can't force him."

Gold eyes blinked and her hand relaxed suddenly, a sigh passing her lips when she realized he was right.
    "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right..." Night said softly, Phi letting her hand go when she calmed down.
    "Jin is a good kid, very smart. He'll be okay on his own for a while."

~~~

Jin shivered as he walked, tears stuck to his cheeks as he walked. His coat and phone were gone when he ran off, having dropped them both when he took off. His arms hugged him as he walked, attempting to keep himself warm as the cold October air bit him through his long-sleeved shirt.
    "I-I'm so stupid..." He mumbled to himself, sighing and watching his breath come out in a puff. "I-I should've known mama didn't know about Hartz' idea..." He looked up and saw the further darkening sky, whining softly as he looked around for a shop to slip into.

He had no idea what time it was since he dropped his phone, and it was getting colder by the minute.

A wolf-whistle caught his attention as he looked up and around, wondering where the noise came from.
    "Damn honey, you lookin' fine...~" A man's voice drawled, heavy with alcohol. Jin looked and saw one man staring straight at him, making him tilt his head in confusion.
    "Y... You're talking to me...?" His voice held heavy confusion, his eyebrows furrowed together.
    "Yeah, I'm talking to you sweetheart~" The man purred, stepping closer to him. Jin shuddered in disgust, stepping back.
    "Okay, two things... One, I'm in a relationship and two, I'm a guy..."
    "Aww, honey, you don't have to lie to me..." The man growled seductively. "Come back to my place with me so I can show you a good time~"
    "I'm seventeen...!" Jin said in disgust, frowning.
    "Good thing age is only a number~"
    "Hey, you leave that poor boy alone!"

A woman suddenly appeared with a broom, swinging it at the drunk pervert angrily.
    "Shoo! Leave him alone! Disgusting man!" She yelled, sweeping him away with her trusty broom. The man yelled out as it connected with his head, cursing her out as he stumbled away, disappearing into the crowd to get away from the crazy woman.
    "Good riddance..." Jin mumbled, looking toward the woman that just helped him and sparing a small smile. "Thank you for saving me back there..."
    "Oh honey, it wasn't a problem! Creeps like that always make my blood boil, utterly disgusting." The woman huffed, her broom by her side. "Goodness, what are you doing out here with a coat?! You'll catch a cold that way! Come along, let's get you warmed up." She gently grabbed his hand, pulling him inside her warm pastry shop.

Jin took in a deep breath and smelled all sorts of sweets and breads, sighing softly in content as the older woman sat him down at a table.
    "Would you like something to eat? A growing boy like yourself needs to eat if you want to stay healthy."
    "O-oh, uh, I-I don't have any money on me..." Jin answered softly, shuffling his hands nervously in his lap.
    "Nonsense! This'll be on me, no problem!" The woman smiled warmly, ruffling his black hair playfully.
    "W-well... Do... Do you have blueberry pie...?"
    "The best in Beigoma City! I'll run and grab you a slice." She smiled and turned, walking off behind the counter of her shop.

~~~

Naoki held his phone to his ear as he was parked in a parking lot, keeping an eye on the twins as it rang and rang.
    "Hello?" A female's voice suddenly answered, causing Naoki to pull the phone away and look at who he was calling. He grew confused when he for sure knew that he was calling Jin and put the phone back to his ear.
    "I'm sorry, but who is this? Where's the owner of this number?"
    "Hi, I'm sorry! I found this phone in the pocket of a coat I found on the street! Do you know who it belongs to? I'd like to return it to him. The babies on the Lock Screen are super cute too, he looks like a good big brother." The girl gushed, making Naoki furrow his eyebrows.
    "Oh, uh, yeah I know who owns the phone. If you could bring it to Main Street, I'm parked in the lot in front of the music shop." Naoki told her, giving her the description of his car.
    "Sure, I'll be there in a few!"

That had to be the weirdest conversation Naoki has ever had over the phone, leaning back in his seat in confusion. He looked down at his phone and proceeded to call Night, holding the phone to his ear.
    "Naoki, I was about to call you."  Night said once she answered, a sigh in her voice.
    "Did you find him?" The teacher asked, ignoring the bad feeling he had in his chest.
    "Yes, but I scared him off. I'll explain more back at the house."
    "Night, I went to call him and a girl answered. Jin dropped his coat and his phone was in it."
    "... Tell me you're joking."
    "As serious as a heart attack."
    "Where are you? I'm on the way."

~~~

Jin ate the slice of pie happily, the shop owner watching him from afar as she took care of some things behind the counter. He certainly looked like a sweet young man, but what was he doing in the busy downtown area of Beigoma city? She shook her head and let out a soft sigh, going back to what she was doing.

After all, it wasn't her place to meddle in his business.

    "How's the pie, sweetie?" She asked him, wiping down her counters. Jin hummed happily and looked over to her, his green eyes sparkling softly.
    "It's super good...! You weren't kidding about it being the best in the city...!" The teenager responded, taking another bite of the delicious slice of pie. The woman smiled and nodded, a soft giggle in her throat.
    "I'm so glad you like it! The recipe I use for it was passed down generation to generation, dating all the way back to the early 1900s." She explained, watching the boy stare at her in awe.
    "Wow, that's so cool..." He smiled, finishing up his slice of heaven shortly after. "Oh, do you have a phone I could borrow...? I, uh, don't have mine on me..."

The shop owner laughed as a bright red coated her guest's cheeks, picking up the shop phone and bringing it over to him.
    "No problems, dear! You can use this." She smiled, ruffling his hair and walking back. Jin smiled softly as he typed in his mother's phone number, hesitating a moment as he stared down at it. Would she be mad like she was earlier? The black-haired teen shook his head and took in a deep breath, pressing the call button. It rang and rang, his chest feeling tight as he waited for her answer.
    "Hello?"  His mother answered questioningly, obviously confused of the new number.
    "... Hi mama..." Jin said softly, flinching when a surprised gasp came from the other end.
    "Jin! Oh thank god, I thought something bad happened! Naoki told me that you dropped your phone and I started freaking out, thinking someone took you. Whose phone are you using baby? Where are you?" Night asked him, not angry but incredibly relieved.
    "I'm at this wonderful little pastry shop by the park... The nice woman that owns it helped me warm up and let me use the phone..." Jin found himself smiling, gripping the phone in both of his hands. "I wanna come home mama... I miss the twins and I wanna be with my family..."
    "We'll be there in a few, my little spirit, we're just waiting for the girl that found your phone and your coat. Okay?"
    "Okay, mama... I love you..."
    "I love you too baby, I'm sorry about how I acted. We'll discuss more at home."
    "Okay, bye mama..."

The phone call ended and Jin felt a lot better, standing and grabbing his plate before bringing the phone back to the nice shop owner.
    "Thank you for everything and letting me use your phone..." Jin told her politely, smiling at her.
    "Oh you're so welcome honey! Is your mother coming to pick you up?" The woman asked, taking the phone back and then taking care of his plate.
    "Yes ma'am, she said she'll be here soon..."
    "Well that's very good to hear. I never did ask for your name, by the way. What is it?"
    "Oh, I'm Jin, very nice to meet you..."

The woman's eyes lit up in excitement when she heard his name, smiling brightly.
    "As in Jin Aizawa? You go to Beigoma High, right?" She asked in excitement, her hands clasped together. Jin tilted his head slightly, a little unnerved that she's heard of him.
    "Um... Yeah... How do you know that...?"
    "Oh, my husband used to be the principal there! He's told me a lot about you and told me how amazing of a student you are!"

Jin felt unease pierce through his heart, his eyes widening slightly at the thought that crossed his thoughts.
    "I'm sorry, w-what's your name...?" He asked her, trying to keep his distress from leaking into his voice.
    "My name is Elaine!" She smiled. "Elaine Talisborne."

Talisborne?

Jin felt panic engulf his chest, his hand reaching up and holding his neck.

She can't be serious...~

NightBear15 signing off...