Shattering Humanity-Chapter 73: A Backup Babysitter

Saku and Friend sprint out of the training room and close the door.

They sprint to their right and as soon as Taylor and Itsuka run out of the room, the naturally quick Saku and Friend have already taken the corner and were unseen.

Saku can hear as she yells at him through the echo of the stone hallway.

Itsuka: "I guess the only things I’m good for are watching your dog and being a chest to cry into?! Huh?!"

Saku stops, making the dog pause as well. He clenches his fist and begins walking away with Friend.

Saku: "Why does everyone think I do this type of shit without a reason? I’m not trying to make them feel bad. As much as I respect Tay, I can’t trust him petting you Buddy and I don’t know why she’s gotta take it so personal."

As man and his best friend walk down the dark, dimly lit stone hallway a young child’s cry can be heard.

Crying Child: "Daddyyyy! Wahhhhhh!!"

Saku gets curious and begins jogging towards the cry.

Saku: "Come one Friend!"

Friend: "RrufFf."

The crying culprit is found as Saku and his dog get to the stairwell.

The little girl, Kawaii, is alone and balling her eyes out. Saku takes a deep sigh as he calmly walks up to her, the tapping of Friend’s claws behind him. The sound scares the little girl even more and she is now whimpering in fear.

Saku: "Why are-"

He can see her horrified eyes more clearly and feels bad. He sighs again.

Saku: "...Are you ok ’lil miss Kawaii’?"

The little girl sniffles and wipes her eyes with her sleeve. As she speaks she takes deep exaggerated breaths.

Kawaii: "I needed to go potty *quick breath* but PaPa was taking a nap *quick breath* so I went to find the bathroom *quick breath* by myself *quick breath* and then I saw a mouse *quick breath* and I chased it*quick breath*...."

At that point Saku narrows his eyes at the lost little girl, annoyed, he starts walking away from her, up the stairs, no longer caring but Friend stays.

The little girl stops her long winded story and begins wailing again. Saku stops and turns around.

Saku: "Friend. Let’s GO!"

The dog stands next to the crying little girl and looks at Saku. It then turns its back to its master who turned his back on a crying little girl.

Saku watches as Friend goes to the little girl and licks her tears off her face. It surprises her and she stops crying. She looks at the dog and he gives her nose a lick kiss.

She slightly giggles and Friend does it again. It makes the girl actually laugh and she hugs the dog that is the same height as her.

Kawaii: "Are you my guardian angel ’Buppy’?"

Friend: "RrruffFRuff!"

Saku puts his head down, disappointed in himself. Kawaii is giggling while Friend keeps giving her kisses.

Saku: "Hey."

The girl and dog look up at Saku, looking down at them from halfway up the stairs, the single light at the top of the stairs, is perfectly above his head while he is holding his hand out for the little girl, smiling, a genuine smile.

Saku: "Let’s go find your PaPa."

The cute little girl, with her bright pink eyes still glossy from crying, looks up and smiles back at him, letting out an excited squeak. She runs up the stairs to where the leader of the Izanami Division waits for her.

Kawaii: "Put me on your shoulders Big Brudder!"

He starts running away from her.

Saku: "How about we play some Tag. You’re ’It’!"

The little girl giggles and with her new four legged acquaintance, runs up the stairs chasing after Saku. Saku stands in the doorway, smiling at the little girl who doesn’t deserve to cry and be scared, now giggling and having fun in this apocalypse. Then she trips forward on the final step and lands scrapping her hands. She looks at them and begins to tear up. Saku lunges forward kneeling down with a playful surprised expression.

Saku: "Wooah, you fell that hard and didn’t get hurt? You’re a strong little lady, I might have to recruit you once you’re old enough to fight for your PaPa when he gets too old and HE starts pooping HIS own pants."

He forces a laugh at his own joke but it is a successful placebo for the impressionable 5 year old as she gets up and tags him.

Kawaii: "Tag you’re ’it’. Tricked ya! Hahahah!"

She giggles as she runs to the door. Saku, still kneeling at the top step, looks as Friend gets to him and gives his Master a lick/kiss on the left temple on his face.

Saku: "I guess we found a ’back-up babysitter’ for you Bud, at least whenever Taylor is around. It wasn’t fair, manipulating Itsuka’s womanly emotions by giving her responsibility over you."

Saku and Friend EyeEngage the IceEyes that were once in the same Iceman. The dog wagging his tail.

Saku: "Now, when you’re with her it’s YOU protecting HER, not the other way around. If I find out she was hurt under your watch, you’ll be a bad boy."

The dog’s tail stops wagging knowing the term "bad boy". Saku smiles and rubs the top of the pups head, the tail starts going again.

Saku: "Don’t worry buddy, I know you’ll always be a good boy."

Kawaii, not strong enough to open the metal door looks as Saku approaches her with his hand out, the shadow from his hand looms over her and pats her head.

Saku: "You’re ’it’."

Kawaii: "No tag backs!"

Saku: "We’re the only two playing!"

From behind the corner, at the bottom of the cement stairs, Itsuka, Shelly, and Sol watch in silence as Saku shows a completely different side of himself. Itsuka is bright red from watching Saku’s polarizing way of communicating with the child, compared to how he’s been talking to everyone else.

Shelly: "I’m not buying it."

Sol: "Me neither. He was only doing that for his own benefit to get both of them to follow him without any problems."

Itsuka grits her teeth and turns to the smaller girls.

Itsuka: "It sounded authentic to me. Plus, if what Mr. Daisuki said is true, and he didn’t have a positive role model to help him grow up, he should know exactly what a scared and lonely child wants and what that child needs to not feel scared and alone anymore."

Sol and Shelly both look at each other as the oldest of them defends the man she has feelings for.

Itsuka: "He just needed Friend to remind him that he’s been able to ’absorb’ the negative shit from his past from his home life to fighting for both himself and Katsu as kids. Instead of blaming his upbringing, to use that ’absorbed’ negativity to produce more negativity, he’s trying to make sure others avoid it and create positivity for the future."