Chapter Text
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In the end, Tomoko did accept the pillarmen's job offer. To be fair, she would have to be insane to decline, especially considering all the benefits and pay that went with it, but it still didn't stop Kars from preening when he heard the news. He immediately began to prepare for the transition, scheduling a meeting so he could explain her new duties and show off her new work environment.
Which was why Esidisi was heading to one of their warehouses on a Saturday morning, as opposed to his usual routine of sparring with the other pillarmen.
"You seem tense." Kars said offhandedly, reading a book across from him in the car. Esidisi shrugged, noncommittal. He wouldn't necessarily say tense; he felt more inconvenienced than anything if he was being honest.
"How long do you think this should take?" He asked after a moment, looking out over that land, which was quickly changing from city into rural countryside. The majority of the town was still under development, he noticed, with some roads leading nowhere and others dropping from pavement to dirt randomly, but their driver knew the way we'll enough to avoid any potholes.
Kars hummed. "No longer than two hours. All I need to do is all Tomoko through the basics of what type of paper work and tasks she'll be managing. Meanwhile, remember me mentioning Mr. Mirio?"
Esidisi blinked, turning to face him. "The one who is laundering the money? I thought you were going to get rid of him already." He asked in confusion.
Kars nodded. "Yes, and that's the original reason I was going to be taking this trip today. However, would you mind taking over that for me? I'm going to be a little preoccupied with Tomoko." He said, glancing up from his book to meet his eyes.
Esidisi nodded. "He will be dead before noon." He said with a laugh, looking back out over the landscape.
It's hilarious when people think they can get away with something like that, in THEIR company, nonetheless. You had to be a true idiot to think you could get away with taking money from a company which had had inside rumors of personally… disposing of wayward employees. A rumor that Esidisi was about to demonstrate to Mr. Mirio to be very real. He smiled in anticipation.
The rest of their trip was silent, and as soon as they arrived, Esidisi set out to accomplish his task, while Kars headed inside to meet up with Wamuu, who, if everyone was on time, should already be with Tomoko.
As Kars walked down the pristine halls, boots clicking against the floor with each step, he paused when he heard familiar voices through one of the office doors. One belonged to a woman, while another was high pitched, and talking excitedly back and forth with someone else of a much lower baritone. The purple haired man raised an eyebrow in confusion, before pushing the door open.
"Ah, Kars, there you are." Wamuu greeted warmly from his seat as Kars stepped inside, which he returned with a small smile. Squinting slightly against the sun streaming in through the open window, he turned and wasn't surprised to see Tomoko sitting across from Wamuu.
What DID, however, was the sight of Josuke tucked against his mother's side, scribbling on a small notepad.
"Hello Kars." Tomoko said politely with a small wave once she noticed he had arrived. At that, Josuke's head immediately popped up.
"Mr. Kars?" He asked excited, blue eyes shining when he finally spotted the pillarman. "Hi!"
Kars smiled, face softening ever so slightly.. "Ms. Tomoko. I'm glad to see you could make it." He started, walking over and taking a seat beside Wamuu. "I see you brought a plus one?" He raised an eyebrow, glancing at Josuke.
Tomoko blushed, nodding in embarrassment. "Yes, I'm so sorry I had to bring him!" She exclaimed, looking down. "My babysitter had an emergency come up, and Ryouhei is working this morning! Josuke still is too little for me to leave alone, so I called Wamuu to tell you that I would be late." She drew a breath, slowing down the sudden rant.
"I said it would be fine." Wamuu said, taking over. "I told her I would watch Josuke while you and Tomoko worked on the job."
"Good idea." Kars said appreciatively, glad that the other man prevented him from having to reschedule. "I see no problem with that, as long as Tomoko doesn't mind."
"I'm ok with it. It won't be too long anyway, and I'll have Josuke out of your hair!" She said with a laugh, ruffling the boy's hair as she did. Wamuu nodded, standing up and walking over to the door.
"Ok then, come on Josuke! Let's not bother Mr.Kars and your mother anymore now." He called as he motioned for the child to follow. Josuke hesitated, looking up at Tomoko, but followed after she smiled encouragingly and gave him a slight nudge.
"Bye!" He said with a wave as he left the room, shutting the door behind him before looking up at Wamuu. "So, where are we going?" He asked curiously, eyes wide.
"Well," Wamuu started, realizing he didn't have a long term plan for what he was going to do. "I know somewhere for us to sit. We are going to have to walk, so are you ready?"
Josuke nodded, his hair bouncing as he did. "Yeah! I'm good at walking, mom says I go too fast!" He said, looking proud. Wamuu grinned slightly, an idea forming.
"Hey Josuke?" He asked, and the boy looked up at him questioningly. "I bet I can make you go faster. Want to see?"
Josuke gasped, before nodding excitedly. "YES!!" He squeaked, jumping excitement.
Checking the halls to make sure no one would be inadvertently trampled, Wamuu was relieved to see that the coast was clear. Quickly scooping the child off the ground, he used his enhanced strength to all but launch himself down the straight walkway, feet not touching the ground but twice the whole way. The wind rushed around him, blowing back his hair while Josuke screeched in delight in his arms. He skidded to a stop right before they crashed into the door, shoes leaving long marks on the floor.
"Whoaaaa!!!..." Josuke gasped, his hand clutching onto Wamuu's shirt tightly, but looking awed. "How did you do that?!!?" He asked incredulously as he peered over Wamuu's shoulder and back down the long hall they crossed in only one second. "Can we do it again??!!" Wamuu chuckled.
"Maybe later. Right now, we need to find a place to stay while your mom talks. Besides, that's too much excitement for a three year old." Wamuu said as he continued forward, this time at a normal pace.
"I'm four now, remember? Not three!" Josuke giggled out as he squirmed in pillarman's hold.
Wamuu gasps in mock seriousness. "Of course. How could I have forgotten!" He exclaimed, holding back a laugh as Josuke nodded sagely in agreement. Instead, he settled on a small grin as he took the boy through a series of winding hallways, which led to a small but comfortable break room. The walls were painted a neutral grey, and a large window letting in the sunlight was open across from him. As soon as he was set down, Josuke immediately scrambled up onto the small loveseat across from the tv.
"Can I watch something?" He asked after a moment, waiting for Wamuu to walk over from where he was getting a drink from the solitary cabinet.
"Sure." He responded easily as he sat on the ground in front of the couch, not trusting in the structure's integrity to hold his larger frame. Flipping through the channels for a few minutes, Wamuu finally settled on a cartoon that seemed kid friendly enough, and soon, thirty minutes had gone by.
However, the attention span of a child is limited, and while another episode began playing, Wamuu felt something softly tap his shoulder. He turned, coming face to face with Josuke.
"Yes?" He asked, looking over the four year old. "What's wrong?"
Josuke paused, face scrunched up. "... Can we do something else now?" He asked, almost shyly.
"Hmm, like what?" Wamuu responded, wondering what he had in mind. Josuke shrugged, silent for a moment, before asking,
"Can I have something to eat?" He decided, looking across at Wamuu expectantly. The pillarman nodded, standing up and walking over to the cabinet to look inside. They had some water bottles, alongside a stack of plates and napkins, but nothing that could constitute a meal. He frowned.
"Sorry Josuke, we don't have anything…" He said apologetically, turning back to the child. Josuke slouched back against the cushions, looking disappointed. "If we wait a little longer, we can have lunch with your mom." Wamuu consoled, sitting back down besides him as they both turned back to the television.
After fifteen minutes, Wamuu decided that Josuke wasn't going to take it much longer, if the fidgeting and quiet stomach rumbling was any indication. Sighing, he looked down at Josuke, debating what to do.
He was certain he could find something to hold the kid over, but he would probably have to bring Josuke with him; he really didn't want to drag a four year old through a factory…
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Raising an eyebrow, Wamuu walked silently over for the door, Josuke thankfully still distracted by the tv. Drawing himself to his full height, he cracked it open and peered out, coming face to face with Esidisi.
"Esidisi." He greeted with a nod, stepping aside to let the other man through the small doorway.
"Wamuu. Is Kars with Tomoko?" Esidisi asked as he stepped inside, only to pause at the sight of Josuke perched on the couch behind him. His face changed into an expression of confusion, glancing back to Wamuu. "Why is he here?"
Wamuu sighed. "I'm watching him for now, Tomoko's babysitter was delayed for some reason, so she had to bring him along." Just then, an idea formed in his head.
"Esidisi. I need you to watch him while I find something for him to eat." He said, pointing at Josuke who waved happily once he spotted the other pillarmen. Esidisi's eyes widened in surprise, and he opened his mouth to argue, but Wamuu had already taken off. Swiftly walking out into the hall, he yelled, "Thanks, be back in a minute!!" over his shoulder.
"Wait what-" Esidisi called after him, scrambling to catch him, but Wamuu had already disappeared around the corner. He scowled.
"Hey Essedici!!" A small voice called cheerily, and Esidisi turned back to see Josuke watching him with a smile, looking happy to see the tall man. Esidisi sighed.
"Esidisi, Josuke." He corrected half-heartedly, looking around the room instead of returning the greeting. He was on his way to inform Kars of Mr. Mirio's disposal, and now he's stuck babysitting. While he supposed it wasn't going to hurt to wait a little longer to deliver the news, it was slightly irritating to be delayed for this.
As far as he could see, there wasn't anything that Josuke could be hurt by… it was barren in here besides the essentials, and Josuke should be old enough to not hurt himself, right?
"Hey Josuke?" He asked, walking over and crouching in front of the small child. "Can you do something for me?"
Josuke nodded empathically. "Sure! What is it?" He asked excitedly, leaning forward in enthusiasm. Esidisi smiled.
"I'm going to go tell Kars something really fast, do you think you can stay here while I'm gone?" He asked seriously, looking into the boy's azure eyes as he spoke to make sure he understood.
Josuke nodded again, but this time with a hint of uncertainty. "Yeah… but how long will you be gone?" He asked.
"I'll be back in five minutes." Esidisi stated, rising back up and walking to the still open door. "But you can't leave, promise?" He orders, pointing at Josuke with an expectant expression.
"Ok..." Josuke eventually responded, but hesitation still bled into his tone. "Please come back quickly." He said softly as Esidisi left, shutting the door behind him.
Something inside him twisted at Josuke's small words, and he had to pointedly ignore the urge to turn around and go comfort Josuke. This will only be five minutes. All he has to do is tell Kars, and he would be back in no time. It would be fine.
It didn't take anytime to find the conference room Kars was in, and with some code words (they weren't about to tell Ms. Tomoko about the murder), Esidisi was walking back. Weaving through the halls at a slightly faster pace than he would have normally, his eyebrows furrowed with annoyance (worry, but that was NOT anyone's business.) as he hurried to get back to the unattended child.
As soon as he caught sight of the break room he left Josuke in, he felt some of the tension drain out of him. Relieved to be back, he cleared the final meter to the door.
"Josuke, I'm back-" He called as he threw it open, but there was no reply. Scanning the room for the boy, he froze.
It was empty.
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"Haruno, take this to your room." His mother ordered, shoving a small, light box into his arms and walking away. Haruno nodded, padding silently through the hall. He already knew better than to run; his new stepfather wouldn't hesitate to punish him if his steps were too loud.
Pushing open the door, the three year old crept inside and set the box on the empty bed. Opening it, he pulled out the only belongings he was allowed to bring with him to Italy: a small, plush ladybug, and a threadbare blanket. Haruno dutifully spread the cloth across the bed, smoothing out the wrinkles, and glad he was able to bring it now when he saw the lack of a quilt or bedsheets. If he was lucky, he could use his old clothes as a makeshift pillow...
He walked around his room aimlessly after that, noting the creak of the floorboards and the draft by the window, when a loud crash rang from the kitchen. Haruno froze.
"BRAT!" A slurred voice yelled, anger heavy in their tone. "GET IN HERE AND CLEAN THIS UP!!!"
Haruno scrambled out of his room, heart pounding as he rushed around the corner. Squinting against the dim lighting, he looked down to see a shattered cup strewn across the tile floor, shards laying dangerously close to his exposed feet.
"Haruno." The same voice hissed, and his head shot up. His mother layer slumped in a chair, a cigarette in one hand and a bottle in the other. Haruno thinks he recognized it as beer; his mother drank it all the time.
"Are you just going to stand there, you little brat?" She asked in italian, staring down at him coldly. He shook his head vigorously.
"No mother." He said meekly, already looking down and collecting the bigger pieces of glass. He looked around for something to grab them with, not wanting to cut his hands on the sharp edge.
She narrowed her eyes. "And stop speaking japanese. You're not in that county anymore, the least you could do is learn to italian." She shook her head. "You stand out too much, Haruno. Even your name doesn't belong. And start being a little more grateful to your parents!" She ordered, leaving the room and Haruno alone.
The child sniffed, holding back useless tears as he threw the pieces of the cup into the garbage can. He didn't mean to be ungrateful… but the words were so hard to say, his tongue hurt! And he didn't even know italian yet! But if he could change his name…
He thought back to one of the first words he learned.
Giorno… maybe that could work? If he could be good as Giorno, then maybe his parents would be nicer to him… Maybe they just didn't like Haruno, but if he is Giorno, he could be someone new.
Someone who could be loved.
_________ +
"Hey, you!!" Someone yelled angrily, and Josuke shot up from his half asleep position on the couch. Was Esidisi back?-
"How did you get in here!?" Josuke turned around to see a man standing in the doorway, tall and thin with a stack papers in his hands, beady eyes looking down at Josuke suspiciously. The boy paled.
He was supposed to stay in here, but he doesn't know who this is. Josuke scrambled off the couch and stared up at the man nervously, debating what to do. He doesn't want to be with him, he needs to leave...
"Come here, I'm taking you to-" the man started, taking a threatening step toward the boy. Josuke made his decision.
Darting forward, he weaved through the now startled man's legs and out into the hall. A shout of surprise came from behind him.
"HEY!!! SOMEONE GRAB HIM!!" Josuke almost froze, but continued running forward, ignoring the surprised people around him, too confused to listen to the still yelling man demanding that they stop Josuke.
Coming to a staircase, he looked down it carefully before deciding he had no time to waste. Going down as fast as he could, Josuke grunted as he pushed open the door at the bottom, just barely squeezing in-between the crack before it shut again behind him. He looked over the room he was now in.
It was large, and a few people could be seen walking around boxes and shelves, none taking notice to the child now with them. Josuke spun around nervously, before a hard thud on the door behind him spurred him forward. It looks like his pursuer was having an even harder time getting the door open, and he didn't have the advantage of Josuke's small size to fit between them.
Running around randomly, Josuke soon began growing tired, breathless from the unexpected exertion. Where was Wamuu? Or Esidisi? He eventually stumbled across a set of doors with a familiar symbol on them: the bathrooms.
Pushing it open, he crept inside, glad to see it was empty. Closing one of the stall doors behind him, he frowned slightly before shutting the lid of the toilet, sitting on the surface once he was certain it would support him.
All Josuke has to do is wait. Once that man isn't chasing him, he can go back! He thinks he remembers where he was before, so all he has to do is sneak back.
He hopes Esidisi won't be mad at him…
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He'd only been gone for five minutes, HOW--
Esidisi lurched forward, lifting the couch off the floor with one hand to make sure that Josuke wasn't hiding or whatever reason, and confirmed what he already knew.
He was the only person in this room.
A cold feeling spread through him, and he forced himself to think, pushing it aside.
Ok, it was possible that Wamuu had gotten back already, and decided to take Josuke with him. But why would he leave? Wasn't he bringing something for Josuke to eat, so they didn't have a reason to leave… and, if Wamuu had come back, then he probably would have waited for Esidisi's inevitable return to scold him about leaving Josuke alone.
That meant that Josuke left by himself… why? But more importantly, WHERE!??!
Running back out into the hall, Esidisi grabbed the nearest employee and leaned over him menacingly.
"You." He growled, tone leaving no room for questions, "Did you see a child run by here at any point?"
The man was shaking in his grip, face as white as a sheet, but he shook his head nonetheless. Esidisi wordlessly let him go, and moved onto the next person. After three more fruitless interrogations, finally a lady said,
"Yes, he went that way!" Pointing down a staircase that leads to the factory floor. Esidisi immediately took off in that direction, jumping down the stairs and narrowly avoiding landing on a random employee.
Breaking open the next set of doors, he stepped over the splintered wood and scanned the room, uncaring of the shocked looks he received from the lingering people who hadn't gone out for lunch. Esidisi didn't see any sight of Josuke; however, a faint, but familiar, soapy smell that clung to Josuke and Tomoko's clothing was present, thanks to his superior ability of smell. He lurched in its direction, noticing how it weaved through and behind boxes and shelves.
Why was the path so random? It almost looked like someone was chasing Josuke, and he was trying to throw them off his tracks. The thought made Esidisi's anger spike, and he narrowed his eyes.
Eventually it led him to a set of bathroom doors, and Esidisi (thankfully) didn't rip them off the hinges like he did earlier as he barged inside, but just barely. Only one of the stalls was shut, and he knocked on it carefully.
"Josuke, is that you?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer. Suddenly, the door was thrown open and Esidisi had to take a step back to avoid getting hit by it, and a small body launched itself at him, hugging around his leg tightly.
Josuke immediately started crying, and Esidisi had to pry him off of his leg so he could crouch down to talk. Taking the kids hands in his own, he said, "Josuke." As softly as he could. It took a few moments, but eventually, he calmed down enough to continue. "Why are you in here? Didn't I say to stay put?"
"I'm sorry!!!!" Josuke wailed, looking pitiful as tears rolled down his face. "Someone found me and I got scared, so I ran!!" Esidisi sighed.
"Josuke," he started carefully, "I'm not mad at you. I shouldn't have left you alone." Standing up, he gently pulled the four year old with him, they left the bathroom and began backtracking. "Let's go back and wait for Wamuu, ok? He should have something for you to eat by now." And he also was going to have some words with whoever had dared to scared Josuke halfway across the building.
Josuke hiccuped, but fell in step beside him, shying away from anyone they walked by. Esidisi frowned, but continued forward. When he got to the shattered remains of the door, he picked up Josuke and moved him over the sharp edges, not risking any further harm to the boy. They continued forward silently, even when they reached the still abandoned room.
Esidisi let go of Josuke and pushed the couch back into its former position. A small noise behind him drew his attention back to the still crying boy.
"Josuke, you're not in trouble." Esidisi said, but Josuke didn't look convinced.
"But-"
"No buts. It was my fault, I take full responsibility." Esidisi interrupted, shaking his head. "As I said, I should not have left you alone. You don't know anyone here, I'm not surprised you decided to run."
Josuke looked a little relieved at that, but his eyebrows remained furrowed. "Please don't tell my mom! She'll be so mad at me!!" He begged, eyes pleading with Esidisi.
Esidisi nodded. "I swear I will not tell her."
Josuke finally calmed down all the way, and Esidisi turned the TV back on. They made it back in time, because mere seconds after, Wamuu arrived, clutching some fruit and a small bag of chips under his arm.
"I'm back!" He greeted, and Josuke looked over excitedly.
"Hi Wamuu!" He shouted, earlier distress gone from his tone as he ran over. "Is that for me?" He pointed at the food. Wamuu nodded.
"Yes, here," he said, giving the child the bag of chips. Josuke smiled widely, already opening them, while Wamuu looked at the tear tracks still present on Josuke's face in confusion. He turned to Esidisi. "What happened?"
Esidisi grimaced. He was going to have to tell the blond haired man, but he would have to deal with Wamuu's disappointed stare when he did. And then he would tell Kars, who would not be amused.
"I'll tell you later."
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