As Aaron entered the school building, he was still stunned by what had happened meer seconds ago.
This was all broken as Netsuko greeted him.
"Hey Aaron!" She said.
"Oh! Hey Netsuko was it?" Replied Aaron;
"Did you need something?" He asked
"No, I'm just checking in on ya!" She replied.
"Oh! Thanks, I'm fine." Answered Aaron.
"Ok, just watching out for you, after the whole attack and all." Said Netsuko.
"Um, Thanks?" Replied Aaron awkwardly.
As he strolled into his History class.
The class went about as expected, with Aaron passing whatever that was throw at him fairly confidently.
The same with his other class.
What was different however, was Natsuko, who constantly hovered over him.
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Asked Aaron.
"I told you, I'm looking after you!" Replied Natsuko.
"Thanks, but I'm fine!" He replied.
"I know, I just feel obligated to take care of you." She answered.
"That's not how life debts work if that's what you are getting at." He said.
"If anything it should be the other way around."
"Well," began Netsuko;
"It's hard to explain, but I just feel obligated to protect you."
"Well, Thanks." Snapped Aaron;
"But I can take care of myself."
"Ok" replied Natsuko meekly.
Aaron started to feel bad for saying that, nowone had ever done anything remotely like this before.
As weird as it was.
"You know what" started Aaron;
"If you really feel like you have to protect me, I'll let you."
Netsuko quickly perked up;
"Ok!" She excitedly stated.
"On one condition however," began Aaron.
"You do it discreetly."
"You hovering over me is both awkward and a little embarrassing."
"Of course!" She replied.
Weirdly giving off a arua like a happy dog.
"Thanks" Aaron replied.
The rest of the day went off without a hitch.
But towards the end of the day, Aaron realized something.
"Hey, Netsuko" he began;
"Were you on the school front law, say 10 minutes before classes started?"
"Ya, I saw you in the corner with a weird book." She answered
"You didn't see any pillars of purple smoke did you?" Asked Aaron.
"No?" Netsuko replied in a confused tone.
"Hum, guess it was a weird daydream." He stated.
"Are you okay Aaron?" She asked.
"I'm fine." He answered.
"Welp. Thanks for doing the whole protecting me thing." Said Aaron.
"Ya!" She started;
"Oh, here!"
She handed Aaron a small piece of paper.
"What's this?" He asked.
"It's my home phone." She replied.
"Call us if you need anything."
"You'll always have a friend in the Valentine household!"
"Oh! Thanks!" Replied Aaron.
He was both excited and slightly confused.
He had just met this girl, and had done nothing to even impress her and yet she was acting like they'd know each other for months.
This confusion grew as he walked back home, but soon, that confusion turned to shock and horror as lineing the streets of his house were several police cars.
He ran quickly to his house praying to whatever gods that existed that it had nothing to do with house and family.
"Hey!!" He screamed
"What's going on!"
This caught the eyes of one of the officers who turned around to address the young boy.
"Hold up kid." The officer started;
"Do you live here?"
"Yes! I do!" He answered.
"Well, I'm sorry to say this kid, but we believe your parents were kidnapped." The officer said.
"Wait what!" Said Aaron in a shocked tone.
"How could this happen!"
"We don't know kid." Began the officer
"But whoever did it, left this note?"
"Did you check for fingerprints!?" Asked Aaron frantically.
"Ya, it was the first thing we did" answered the officer.
"We found nothing."
Aaron took the paper to find that it read "Bring the book or else." The note itself was signed with a black hand.
"Do you know anything about the book they are talking about?" Asked the officer.
"No, I don't." He answered.
"Well, until we get any answers, your house is deemed a crime scene and we can't let you stay here." Began the officer.
"So, do you have any relatives nearby?"
"N-No" stammered Aaron;
"But I do have a friend!"
"May I barrow a phone sir?"
"Of course" replied the officer.
The officer handed Aaron a phone from inside his squad car and proceeded to nervously punch in the phone number given to him by Netsuko.
"Come on, pick up, pick up!", though Aaron.
"Hello, Valentine residence!" A feminine said through the phone.
"Hi, I'm Aaron, I'm a friend of Netsuko's" he began.
"I need a place to stay to night, something happens with my perents."
"Oh dear" said the voice.
"I'll come right now, where are you?"
He quickly told the voice his street number and they soon hug up, and turned to the police officer.
"Could I get some things from my room please?" he said to the officer.
"Sorry kid." Started the officer.
"But like I said, the whole house is a crime scene, and we can't let you in there right now."
"Ok" said Aaron meekly.
A few minutes later a woman came in a dark green car pulled up.
"Excuse me!" Said the woman.
"Are you Aaron?"
"Ya! That's me." He answered with a nervous chuckle.
The woman in question appeared to be a middle aged Japanese woman, with deep brown hair and wore a flannel jacket and jeans.
"Hello Aaron, I'm Netsuko's mother." Said the woman.
"We're sorry to hear what happened to your perents, but we'll take good care of you." She said to Aaron with a comforting smile.
"Well, come on!"
"Hop in!" She said to Aaron.
As Aaron swung the car door open, he was greeted by a less than perky looking Netsuko.
"You okay Netsuko?" Asked Aaron.
"Ya, I'm fine." She replied.
"I'm just feeling really bad for you."
"You've had a rough past few days haven't you?"
"Yep, I have." Answed Aaron with another nervous chuckle.
Aaron took his seat in the car, and they set off.
"I've never done the whole, staying at a friend's house thing before." He said in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"I was just thinking it would be under much less grim circumstances."
This generated a small laugh from Netsuko and her mother.
But after that the ride was completely silent the rest of the way to their house.