Ch. 4 -Struggles-

                                    

                                          
Angst warning ⚠️ 
It had been about 2 weeks since Aone found you, and you were adjusting to home life, as well as school life, granted it was just a daycare. You were given new clothes of your own, more stuffed animals, and a few toys. Aone has prepared a Playlist on his iPad for you if you get too overwhelmed, or bored. He also has adjusted to how you respond to bathing, giving you space to wash yourself and asking for his help if needed. He lets you know his every move as to not startle you, and his mom, Emi, has prepared more food in Aone's lunch box to share with you. Some days were better than others, and some days you couldn't stop crying, even if Aone was there. Today was one of those days.
You were screaming; well, as well as you could scream. It was choppy, stopping and going randomly. You didn't know why you were crying, nothing was wrong. You just woke up crying and bawling, clawing at Aone's shirt. He woke up to you crying, tears stained your face. His mother knocked on the door, opening when Aone said come in. She sat on the bed, with a towel in her hand. You stopped to see who it was, but continued crying as she took you from his arms carefully. You cried into the towel, as Momma Nobu wiped your face clean. She then put you on her shoulder, rocking gently to ease you. She started humming a lullaby, which Aone was all to familiar with. When he was younger, his selective mutism caused a lot of overwhelming situations. Because he couldn't speak up for himself, his anxiety spiked, and he would come home crying. His mother hummed the same lullaby to him that she was to you. As a mother, it was hard to accept that her son couldn't talk to strangers, or friends. As time went on, and with the right tools to help, Aone has his anxiety under control, and has worked hard to speak up for himself. His mother was proud how far Aone has come, and to have a way of communicating, and friends.
You were still crying, but it was down to soft whimpers and few tears. Mothers always have that magic touch to make a child stop crying. Once she deemed you calm enough to hand back to Aone, she made sure that you had water to drink since you cried so much. It took about 2 hours for you to calm down, enough time for Aone to miss morning classes. 
Aone's mother called the school, saying that Aone was sick (u know, like a liar). That day, it was spent with cuddles, snacks, and children's TV shows. Futakuchi stopped by to give the missed work to Aone, and saying hi to you although, you weren't in the mood to say hi. About an hour after that, a knock was heard. Aone's mother answered, revealing a police officer.
"Ms. Takenobu? I'm officer Sawamura Sr, and I was hoping to ask you a few questions about the child your son found." He stated, he was about 5'8, brunette hair, and a few wrinkles on his face. He has the build of a dad, but the posture of an officer. Aone's mother stares in question as to how this officer got her address. 
"I know this may seem a bit unorthodox, but I swear this is a case about the child's birth family. Their grandparents are people not meant for on the street, I'd just want to talk about what you found on them the first time you saw them. We're building a case on the grandparents." He said, genuinely concerned for your safety. He's been on the tail of your grandparents for years, but no hard evidence to arrest them. He had no uniform on, wanting to not scare the family looking after you. 
Emi sighed and reluctantly let the officer in, still in utter disbelief that a cop was inside their house. You were too busy with the TV and Aone's fingers to notice the new person in the home, but Aone noticed, and he wrapped an arm protectively over you. The cop notices you and instantly smiles, seeing you in better shape than before. You turn to see the cop, almost about to cry, but you recognized him as the cop who did a house check after your parents accident. You do nothing and watch the TV again, still playing with Aone's fingers.
"Alright, please tell us why your here officer, and how you got my family's address." Emi started. The cop turns to the woman, and answers,"The child's grandparents are frauds that we've been trying to track down, nothing had come up for months. It wasn't until the doctor did a DNA test on the child, and after further investigation, the child's grandfather had sexually assaulted them." He said, before taking a breath and continuing. "We had a hit that someone was testing DNA, and it was your doctor. I called to confirm, and I needed a warrant to talk to you. All I need from you is what you immediately saw as you found the kid. This way, we can arrest both for child neglect and abuse of a minor." He finished. Everyone was silent, the only noise coming from the TV. Nobody said anything, as they were processing what they just heard. 
"Scrapes, cuts, and bruises. There was also a dark mark in the shape of a hand on their neck, it was too small to be a man, so it had to be a woman's. Ribs were poking out through the rags of clothes. A big bruise was on the forearm of their right hand. Those were all I saw." Aone said, it wasn't everyday he talked out loud, but when he did, it was important. The officer smiled sadly as he wrote down the details. This was enough to have circumstantial evidence, but the last part is seeing the damage internally. He got up, and pulled out 2 cards, one with his number, and a card with a medical examiner for court. 
"Take your time, but the sooner the better we get these 2 monsters off the streets before they do anything else." He said before preparing to leave. He thanks the family for their time, and heads out.
Momma Nobu and Aone look worryingly at each other, then to you, who was happy in the big arms surrounding you. They silently agreed to get the examination done as soon as possible, taking note about your mental health as well. Momma Nobu dialed a number for a child therapist, along with a speech therapist. The Takenobu family would do what it takes to keep you safe, even if it was at the cost of speaking in court. The day ended with you snuggled under some blankets, with the blue bunny of yours in your arms. 
Aone and his mother sat at the table, discussing what to do next.
"Aone, if we do this, there might be a chance for them to become part of our family. I will let your father and siblings know, but it's up to you since you found them." Aone squinted his forehead, thinking of all the possible outcomes if they move forward. He felt a connection with you, you were like the younger sibling he's never had. He wanted to make sure you had a good childhood, if not better than the one you once had. 
"I'd say in a month, gives us and them time to prepare." He said.
Emi smiled. "Try to have them exercise their voice." Momma Nobu heads to the kitchen to clean up some dishes, while Aone heads to the couch, picking you up to go to bed. He goes onto his phone to text Futakuchi. 
Aone:
👋
Futakuchi:
Hey Aone everything OK?
Aone:
...
Not really
Futakuchi:
Anything interesting happen when u at home?
Aone:
...
👮‍♂️➡️🏡
Futakuchi:
An officer came? Was it about the child?
A
one:
👍
👮‍♂️💬🗨👩🏻‍🦳
👨🏻‍🦳💬👀
Futakuchi:
Did you tell him what we saw?
Aone:
👍
✌️📃
🏡➡️👮‍♂️
Futakuchi:
I'm guessing one was his card and the other was for a medical examiner to find evidence
Is the kid ok?
Aone:
😴😴
Futakuchi:
Good
I hope it goes well dude
No child needs to go thru this
Ever
Aone:
👍
🤜
Futakuchi:
🤛
Aone turned off his phone, snuggling into bed,  it was gonna be a long month.