"Hey mister, do you know where big brother is?" She tugged her old patched up blue dress lightly, her foot making circles on the floor's broken tiles as her gaze followed.
"Is Houn your brother, um...?" Unable to think of a name to call her, he stopped his sentence. The child looked up at him, her eyes slightly gazing to his.
"Maeta, call me Maeta, big brother calls me that because he thinks everyone should have a name..." He smiled sadly at her, not even a name from her own parents?
"Okay then, Maeta-chan, is Houn your brother?" Neiyomaru looked at her as she shook her head.
"Well, not really, but he lets me call him big brother, why?" Maeta's head tilted to the side slightly as her hair flowed like a curtain over her shoulder. Sighing, Neiyomaru contemplated how to explain a sudden collapse and the events that followed without scaring her completely.
"Because he became very sick at work today and I was looking around to let any relatives know where he is." Maeta froze briefly.
"He didn't pass out again did he?" "Big brother always works so hard...; he brings me and the other kids food whenever he has any, and he..." she bit her lip.”He..., seems to pass out in pain a lot..., me and the other kids that live around here with their parents worry about him, but we don't want to let him know that or it would worry him more..." tears ran down her pale face. Neiyomaru was stunned, that agonizing pain, that haunting look..., it was normal to these children?
"Maeta, would you like to go with me to see Houn?" "I have a car just outside, so we can get there fast."
"But how do I know you wont hurt me?"Sniffling, she tried to stop crying. "Big brother told me to never ride anywhere without knowing for sure who the person was..." Neiyomaru smiled in spite of himself, Houn taught her well.
"Your right, sorry about that, my fair lady..." in an attempt to cheer her up he got onto one knee, bowing with one arm, the other picking up Maeta's hand.”I, Neiyomaru Azraiel Yoru owner of Neiyomaru Studios vow to the fair lady Maeta that I will not harm my favorite employee's sister." Looking up at the small and frail little seven year old girl, he smiled sweetly as she looked at him with vibrant green orbs that were free of doubt.
"Oh, your brother's boss?" Maeta's head shifted to the left as Neiyomaru nodded. "Then I trust you, because big brother told me about you..., he talks to us a lot, telling us about his job and you mostly..." "Houn may not say it, but I can tell he thinks of you as a father..." Smiling she took his other hand and attempted to help him up. He humored her and made it look like she really pulled him off the ground, his mind drifting to Maeta's last statement.