65 – Coming Together
"Hitashi! I was sho worried!" Nel Tu cried.
Hisashi wrapped his still healing arms around her the best he could while avoiding cutting her with his blades and rubbed the top of her head with his cheek.
"There... there... See I'm doing just fine," he said trying to comfort her.
"B-but..." she stuttered looking at his arms.
He smiled lightly showing her one of the arms to reveal it was still healing itself at a rapid pace causing it to reform from nothing. It wouldn't take him much longer before he was fully healed.
Finally seeing he was probably going to make it she sighed in relief the worst of her panic subsiding and so hope returning to her gaze.
"See. It'll be all better before you know it," he reassured her.
She nodded and hugged him even tighter.
When Hisashi looked up he actually saw Harribel looking at the two of them tenderly, which surprised him. She usually kept her expression very neutral and reading any of her emotions required paying close attention to minor changes in her expression and tone to even get a slight clue.
He looked down to Nel Tu who was still making a ss of his chest.
"Thank you for saving though," he told Nel Tu with a warm smile.
After wiping away the various liquids from her face she eagerly climbed up on his shoulder again and patted his shoulder.
"Of cawse, Hitashi is a big brother too. I was sho worried," she said.
"Wouldn't you rather spend ti with a big sister?" Apacci tried to tempt Nel Tu.
Unlike her expectation Nel Tu simply crossed her arms and shook her head.
"I'm sure Hisashi would like to spend so ti with this 'big sister'," Sung-Sun teased Apacci.
"Screw him," she retorted.
"Language missy!" Hisashi joked.
Sung-Sun chuckled.
Mila Rose just shook her head at them.
Surprisingly Harribel actually ca up to them out of her own initiative.
"I know we didn't have a chance before, but are you doing ok?" she asked Nel Tu worriedly.
"I'm okay now," Nel Tu said with a proud smile.
Hisashi almost pouted. Who was the one being attacked just monts ago here?
Harribel raised her brow at him and he could almost swear she smirked under her mask.
"And you?" she asked him.
"I'm doing fine, thank you very much. Nice of you to ask," he retorted.
She actually chuckled for a mont before schooling her expression.
Pesche and Dondochakka were rather nervous. Though they could handle Apacci, Sung-Sun and Mila Rose, Harribel and Hisashi were both well beyond them. Though they had grown to trust Hisashi sowhat over the ti they spent travelling with him they were still more cautious than Nel Tu who had taken to him like water. Now that they were surrounded by so many others their cowardly nature was in full force.
"Nel-sama!" they shouted in chorus rushing to her.
"It's fine. Big brother is here with us," she reassured them while looking at Hisashi with a confident smile.
Hisashi couldn't help but smile back at her confidence in him.
"We should head to the hideout just to be safe," Harribel insisted.
Hisashi and Nel Tu agreed and it didn't take long for everyone to get back to the hideout.
When they got to the hideout Hisashi decided to play so gas with Nel Tu to help her calm down after everything that happened.
They played so tag and eventually switched to boardgas like he had done with the Tres Bestias a previous ti.
Nel Tu ended up playing a ga against Apacci.
"I win!" Nel Tu yelled proudly.
"What!? Impossible!" Apacci yelled unwilling to accept her loss to a child.
Nel Tu crossed her arms over her chest "looking down on" Apacci frustrating her even further. "You can call big sis!" she said.
"Get over here!" Apacci yelled angrily as she rushed towards Nel Tu.
Nel Tu quickly hid behind Hisashi and imdiately climbed up his back and onto his shoulder.
"Apacci couldn't even beat you. Nel Tu is truly amazing," Hisashi joked.
Nel Tu actually stuck out her tongue at Apacci and pulling down her lower eyelid to taunt her.
Apacci stomped her hoof in frustration wanting to drag Nel Tu down from Hisashi's shoulder, but there was nothing she could do.
"Defeated by a little girl. Poor Apacci," Sung-Sun said as if she was empathising with Apacci, but truly she was just egging her on more.
"You have to be the bigger person Apacci. You two stop making things worse though," Harribel scolded Apacci, Sung-Sun and Hisashi while defending Nel Tu.
"Y-yes Harribel-sama," Apacci said in a defeated tone. She could argue with Sung-Sun and Hisashi, but not Harribel.
Sung-Sun nodded in agreent.
Hisashi just shook his head in amusent though at Harribel's double standard for Nel Tu.
"Let's play," Harribel told Nel Tu who beca excited again jumping down from Hisashi's shoulder to join her.
"Yesh big sister," she said happily dragging her to the gas they made explaining the rules to Harribel who listened attentively despite already knowing them. She was already there when they were explained to Nel Tu herself after all, but she didn't mind humouring the girl.
Hisashi joined them too playing together, sotis helping Nel Tu to even the balance while sotis helping Harribel or simply cheering from the sidelines when necessary. As the gas continued Nel Tu slowly forgot about the precarious situation they had just been through distracted by the fun, gas and new friends instead.
The surprising part was seeing Harribel open up more than she ever had before. Not only to Nel Tu, but also towards Hisashi who despite all the ti and effort they had spent together had made less progress in getting closer to Harribel over the months he knew her than in one evening spent with both her and Nel Tu.
It was a little depressing, but he was just happy that their relationship was improving like he already had with the rest of the Tres Bestias. Even Apacci who constantly argued with him was more like a rebellious little sister and had been closer with him despite the argunts than Harribel had been.
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