62It had been so nice when she left. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was all wonderful. She had even found time to pick up a bag of fried squid.
And then, almost out of nowhere, it started to rain.
Sakura Minamoto, otherwise known by her codename Number 1, had been enjoying the nice weather, but now found herself rushing to the shelter of an alleyway.
"No no no no no my makeup! Oh man, this is bad... I hate the rain, I hate the rain..." She was panicking as she rushed into the refuge of the alleyway. Why oh why did her morning runs tend to be so chaotic?
"Okay...I'm safe... I just need to call Kotaro and-" The girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard something.
Looking around nervously, she saw the lid of a garbage can roll past her, spinning around before coming to a stop, rattling the entire time.
"Oh, whew..." She sighed. "Probably just a stray cat or a racoon... Notthing to worry about!"
She took a deep breath and reached into her skirt pocket, pulling out her cell phone. As she was sending the text, however, something caught her interest...
It was a soft, timid whimper.
Slowly, she made her way towards the whimper, which was now accompanied by the sound of rustling. She was confused as to what kind of animal could make that noise. She looked behind a dumpster and gasped audibly.
Standing there was the tiniest, most fragile looking child she had ever seen...He was standing by the garbage can, when he turned to look at her with wide eyes.
Harry Potter was scared... His uncle had brought him on a family vacation only to abandon him in this alleyway. He was alone here for about two weeks, surviving by eating from the garbage... He was so hungry... But his hunger was lost when he noticed the person looking at him. She had sickly green skin and sunken red eyes, and she was approaching slowly.
Harry scooted back against the wall with a whimper, then buried his face in his knees.
"Please... leemebe..." The boy mumbled.
Sakura was at a loss for words, she didn't even seem to realize she was still approaching the small boy. A million questions racing through her mind. Where were the boy's parents?! Why was he out here all alone?! Why did he seem so weak?!
She finally reached the child and carefully put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched and whimpered even harder. "Hey...Hey, it's okay... I'm not here to hurt you." Sakura said gently, trying to soothe the poor scared child.
Harry however, just seemed to grow even more scared. He had been told many times that no one cared for a freak, and if they claimed they did, then they were lying. On top of that, this woman's skin was green. Harry didn't know what to do, and felt tears forming.
Sakura saw that the boy was about to cry and gasped. Hurriedly, she snatched the boy up and hugged him tightly. She took a moment to notice how light he was...It felt more like she was holding a pillow or a stuffed animal than a child...
The boy looked up at her with wide eyes, looking very confused. She gave him a smile. "There...See? I'm not so scary, am I?
"W..whoar..are you?" Harry managed to finally stammer out. A mixture of fear and exhaustion taking hold.
"My name's Sakura sweetie." She said with a kind, closed-eyed smile, adjusting him so his head rested against her shoulder, gently beginning to rub his back. "What's yours hon?"
"F..freak..." Harry mumbled.
Sakura's eyes widened at that, and she looked down at him in horror. "Huh? Who told you that?"
"M-My uncle..." He whimpered. Sakura tightened her hold on him.
"Aw, sweetie...Where is your uncle? Why are you out here?" Harry whimpered.
"He...He doesn't want me...He left me..."
The kind, caring eyes of Sakura were briefly overtaken by pure rage. His UNCLE had left him out here?! No... no. This had to be a mistake, maybe he had been forgotten, and his family was looking for him.
"Okay, where are they now?" She asked, calming herself.
"I..I dunno." Harry shook his head, making Sakura frown.
"Well... when did you last see them?"
"When my uncle threw me here... He put me here and said he didn't wanna see me... So I live here now..."
Sakura sat against the wall, hugging him tightly. "This...This is wrong... So wrong..." She breathed. She looked at his tiny hand and gasped when she saw a half eaten sandwich in his hand. "Oh my god you were eating out of the garbage..." She gently took the sandwich from his hand and put it down. "No...Here." She handed him the bag of fried shrimp she bought. "Eat this..."
Harry hesitated and looked up at her. She nodded. He slowly began to eat the squid, and got progressively faster, wanting to satisfy his hunger.
Soon, the squid was gone. Sakura gave him a sad smile. "There...Feel any better?"
Harry looked down. He wasn't as hungry...but he still felt really bad inside... "N-No..." He whimpered before he began to sob softly.
Sakura was almost in a panic, unsure of what to do. She wasn't sure if she should talk to him, try and get him some more food or if she...
Everything seemed to calm down as she realized what might be the best solution to the current predicament. Gently humming a calming lullaby, she calmly sang comforting words to the terrified child. Rocking him back and forth like a baby all the while.
Harry was confused, this green woman was giving him a gentle hug, something he had always wanted. And her voice... it was so mesmerizing.
He found himself unable to stop crying, however... It was weird... It felt oddly...good. Being held...Getting a lullaby... And he was feeling a little bit lighter with each sob...
"I...I can't stop crying..." He choked was afraid of that, but she held back her sadness and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Let it out sweetie. Cry until you feel better."
"But... I can't... Uncle Ver-"
"It doesn't matter what your 'uncle' ever told you. That man was wrong." Sakura said affirmatively. "Now please, if you need to, let it all out."
The boy whimpered before burying his face into her chest and letting out a series of loud, violent sobs. Sakura rubbed the back of his head and continued to sing her lullaby, trying her hardest to make him feel at ease.
After what felt like hours, the boy's sobs finally ceased, and he relaxed in the girl's embrace.
"There there little one. It's okay, I've got you. It's all gonna be okay." Sakura cooed into Harry's ear, rubbing his back soothingly. Harry had finally calmed down, and Sakura smiled as she heard him give an adorable yawn and his chest began to rise and fall as he slumbered in the kind woman' arms. "So cute..."
Suddenly, the girl tensed up. "Eek! Oh no, I need to call Kotaro before I get shot by a cop again!" She hurriedly pulled out her phone and sent her text explaining the situation. Less than a minute later, she received a text back.
STUPID ZOMBIE! CHECK THE WEATHER NEXT TIME, DUMMY! SAKI'S ON HER WAY NOW, HANG TIGHT AND STAY OUT OF SIGHT!
Sakura rolled her eyes, used to Kotaro's verbal abuse at this point.
"I'll show you who's the stupid zombie maggot-head..." She grumbled, moving around a corner to remain out of sight, keeping Harry held tight against her chest. Suddenly, something occurred to her. What was she going to do with Harry?
She looked down at the boy. She couldn't leave him here... She...She would have to bring him along... Oh boy...What would Kotaro say? What kind of effect would this have on her idol career? What would the girls think?!
She was having a mini freakout when her band's van pulled up near the alley. Saki's head emerged from the door. "Yo, Sakura! Hop in!"
With a smile on her face, she darted out form the alleyway, feeling the rain against her as she got into the van and the doors closed behind her. With a sigh of relief, she sat down as the van drove off.
"Sorry about that, Saki, I was walking down the street and-"
"Sakura, where'd you get the midget?" Sakura stiffened at Saki's question and looked down at the still snoozing Harry.
"Oh...Um...Well...I found this little boy in the alley...He...He's homeless... He was...eating out of the garbage and everything..."
"And he's here because..." Saki asked rhetorically.
"Well, I couldn't leave him there on his own!" Sakura defended herself. "He was going to starve to death!"
Saki frowned, seeming taken aback by that, but looked the boy over once again.
"Well, why is he here though?" Saki asked again.
Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Where else was I gonna take him, Saki?" Saki raised her hands placatingly.
"Easy, easy. I worded that wrong. I mean... why was he in the alley in the first place?" Sakura looked down at Harry.
"He...He said his uncle abandoned him..."
Saki's eyes widened and she scowled noticeably. She gripped the wheel and breathed through her nose audibly.
"Bastard..." She scowled.
"Saki! There's a child here!" Sakura scolded, covering Harry's ears and glaring at her bandmate.
"I'm sorry, it's just... how could someone be so inhuman!? We're zombies but even we have more of a heart than this kid's family!"
The retired biker took a deep breath and shook her head. "Okay... I'll help you talk Shades into keeping the kid around. I mean, hey...We got a hell of a lot more money lately, what's one more mouth to feed?"
Sakura smiled sadly. "Yeah... I wanna help him the best I can... Kotaro can't stop me..."
"Eh, I'm sure we'll be fine. Shades has a heart, I'm sure he'll see it your way."
"I hope so." Sakura smiled. Feeling Harry begin to squirm slightly, the zombie adjusted him in her arms and made sure that when he woke up, he'd see her smiling face.
"Wh..where am I?" Harry muttered, not feeling cold like he had been for the past two weeks. He felt... warm. He had a wonderful dream about a nice woman who had given him a hug, had sung him a song... Where was he now? Had his family come back for him!?
He whipped his head around wildly and began to breathe heavily. Sakura gasped. "Hey... Hey, it's okay! It's just me!" The boy looked up and gasped at the sight of the green skinned girl from his dream.
"You're...You're real..."
"Of course I am honey." Sakura smiled down at him. "Did you have a nice nap?"
"I..you're real... I thought it was a dream... and I was gonna wake up in my cupboard, then I was gonna get hit again..." Harry trailed off sadly.
'What did that monster do to you?' Sakura seethed internally, tightening her grip on Harry, as if trying to keep him safer.
"It's okay little guy. You're safe now." She reassured him.
Saki turned back. "Hey, kid." Harry squeaked at the sound of her voice. "Where can we find the guy that did this stuff to you?" Harry looked down.
"I dunno..."
"Saki, you know we can't do anything. It'll damage our career." Sakura said with a stern glance.
"So?" The ex-biker growled. "I know some people who can do it for us. Make him regret he ever laid a hand on-"
"Don't hurt him." Harry squeaked. "Please."
The two looked to one another, shocked.
"Why?" Saki asked, not meaning too, but she wasn't able to stop herself.
"Cause he doesn't deserve it... I did..." Harry replied softly, looking down.
"No." Sakura grabbed his chin and made him look at her. "No... don't say that. Nothing you ever could have done could make you deserve to be abandoned."
"But- I'm a freak." Harry finally got out. "And... he was trying to get the freakishness out of me."
"Nononononono baby..." Sakura cooed, hugging Harry tightly to her chest. "You're not a freak, you're an adorable little boy."
"Cute? Freaks can't be cute... I'm a hideous freak!" Harry cried, tears filling in his eyes once again.
Sakura tightened her hold on him. "Stop it...No more thinking that way. You are not a freak. Look at me. I have green skin. Am I a freak?" She asked with a tilted head.
"N...no..." Harry finally replied, scared of angering the kind woman. "You're pretty... I'm just a freak..."
Sakura sighed and nuzzled Harry's cheek.
"Sweetie, listen to me. You're an adorable baby boy, you're one of the cutest things I've ever seen, and you're perfectly normal. THere's NOTHING freaky about you."
"But... I do freaky things!" Harry Insisted.
"Like what...?"
"I...I make things change colour and float! I accidentally make things appear where they weren't!" He looked down. "It's bad..."
Sakura and Saki looked to one another again, then Sakura looked back to Harry while Saki looked back to the road.
"You can do that?" Sakura asked, surprised.
"I can't control it... and I'm not meant to..." Harry muttered.
"That's kinda cool." Saki spoke from the front.
"H-Huh...?" Harry squeaked out softly.
"Yeah. Really, that's some seriously cool stuff." Saki said with a grin. "Can ya do that stuff whenever you want?" Harry shook his head.
"Uh-uh... It just happens...When I don't want it to..."
"Aw, it's okay kid." Saki smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out as you get older."
"But... Everyone will think I'm a freak! Miss... Miss..."
"Oh, did I not tell you my name? I'm Saki, kid."
"Hi, Miss Saki..." Sakura wrapped her arms around the boy gently.
"Hey...Do you know your real name? I think that's important to know..." She said gently.
"Um...I...I think it's Harry..." The boy said softly. "Y-Yeah...That sounds right... My name is Harry..."
"Harry? That's a cute name!" Sakura smiled.
"You think so?" Harry asked timidly, feeling weird that someone complimented him in such a way.
"Yup!" She grinned. "It's adorable! Just like you!"
"You think I'm adorable?" Harry asked again.
"Of course! You're the cutest little thing I've ever seen!" Sakura giggled playfully poking Harry's nose.
Harry let out a squeak and covered his eyes. Sakura giggled. "Aww, you're just a shy little guy." She cooed, nuzzling the top of his head.
"Yo, Sakura, you might wanna send Shades a text telling him what's going on. I think he'd be a lot more pissed if you brought the pipsqueak home unexpected."
"Well, then he's just gonna have to deal with it." Sakura shrugged, nonchalantly. "Nothing's gonna change my mind." Sakura felt something tug on her sleeve and looked down at Harry. "What's up?"
"Um, where are we going?" Harry asked, finally seeming to realize they were in a van.
"Oh, well, if you'd like, you can come stay with me and my friends for awhile." Sakura smiled.
Harry looked up at her with wide eyes. "Are you sure...? Wh-What if I do something bad...? What if your friends don't like me? What if..." Harry's voice trailed off. "I...I want to come with you...If that's really okay..."
"Well of course you can, sweetie." The undead teen replied, patting his head. "I wouldn't have offered if you couldn't."
"M-Miss Sakura...? I didn't wanna make you mad, but um...why are you and Miss Saki green...? Are...Are you sick?" Harry asked timidly.
Saki laughed out right, surprising Sakura and Harry before covering her mouth and laughing a little bit more.
"No honey, we're not sick." Sakura shook her head. "Saki, myself and our friends... well, we're dead."
"But you're alive..." Harry replied, a childish confusion in his tone.
Sakura looked up at the ceiling, thinking about the best way to explain it without scaring him. "Okay... You know what zombies are, right?" Harry shook his head. "Well, they're...pretty much living dead people. We died, and then we came back to life...but not really because...our dead bodies are able to move."
Harry blinked a few times, trying to process everything he had just been told.
"You're dead?" He asked.
"In a sense, yes." Sakura nodded.
"But you're also alive..."
"Yes."
"I'm confused..." Harry muttered, shaking his head.
Sakura sighed. "Well, the simple point is...we died and came back to life as zombies." Harry decided to just go with it and nodded his head.
"Um...Well... even if you are dead, you're still pretty." He complimented.
"Aw, thanks!" Sakura grinned, hugging Harry again. Saki looked in the mirror and smiled, seeing her friend hugging the small boy.
'He is pretty cute...' She admitted mentally. She stared at the road in silence, watching as Sakura interacted with the boy. She had known her redhead friend was a big softie, but she'd never known that Sakura could be such a mom. 'Still, after all the kid's been through... I think she's exactly what he needs.' She smiled. In the back, Sakura had been playfully talking and poking Harry, making him giggle as she cooed at how how cute it sounded.
Eventually, they reached the house that the group known as Franchouchou called home. Since they'd started making more appearances, they'd been making more money, and as a result, they'd been able to move into a better house, with more space, more bathrooms, and their own bedrooms, with actual beds.
"Are you ready to see your new home Harry?" Sakura asked, and Harry tensed somewhat at the question.
"Um... It's big..." He mumbled. "Do I have to clean it all?
Sakura blinked, then gave him a sad look. "No, Harry... We all have our own chores to do. You don't have to do anything." She reassured him, patting his back.
"Yeah, just leave all the hardcore labour to the big kids." Saki said, giving the boy a pat on the head and a big toothy grin. He smiled softly. "There's a smile!" Saki exclaimed. "I like it. It fits you."
Harry blushed and tried to hide it by looking away, resting his head on Sakura's shoulder as the zombie carried him up the steps towards their house. Sakura let out a soft chuckle and glanced over to Saki.
"Saki, you're embarrassing him!" She chided, jokingly.
Saki just snickered in response as they entered the house. Sakura took a deep breath as Kotaro's office door opened. "Well, well, little miss raindrops returns! Remember, Sakura, always remember to check the-" Kotaro froze when he saw Harry. Then he screamed loudly, promptIng Harry to do the same. "SAKURA! HOW COULD YOU?! YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO INTERACT WITH THE LIVING AND NOW YOU'RE STEALING CHILDREN?! YOU FOOL! NOW WE'RE SUNK! GAME OVER, MAN! GAME OVER!"
"KOTARO! CALM DOWN!" Sakura screamed. "YOU'RE SCARING HARRY!"
The room went silent, aside form Harry's borderline hyperventilating, and Sakura immediately turned her attention to the terrified boy.
"Hey, it's okay hon. Kotaro's nice, he's just..." She trailed off trying to think of the right thing to say.
"He's scary..." Harry mumbled.
Kotaro felt those words pierce his chest and reacted accordingly. He fell to his knees and clutched at his chest. "Sc-Scary...? The boy wounds me deeply...!"
"What's all the noise about?" Ai's voice sounded out and the rest of the group stepped into the room to see just what was the matter.
"Long story short, Sakura fond a homeless kid, brought him home, and now Kotaro's having an emotional meltdown." Saki replied.
"A... homeless kid?" Ai said in disbelief, looking over to see Sakura tightly clutching a small, cowering boy. "Aw... he's shy."
"I'm sorry, could someone please explain to me how this all happened?" Junko asked aloud, her tone calm but worry clear on her face.
Sakura sighed and explained to the others exactly what had happened. How she had gotten caught in the rain and taken shelter in the alley, how she had found the boy alone in the alley, how she had comforted and fed him, and how he had told her how he was abandoned.
Needless to say, the others were shocked to say the least. To think that someone who abuse a child so badly to begin with, let alone abandon him! Even Kotaro, the absolute drama queen he was, seemed somewhat angered, and was uncharacteristically quiet.
"I see." The man said calmly. "Well then. I suppose there's only one option." He pointed forward dramatically. "Young Harry shall have to live under our roof!"
At this point, Tae had recognized the smell of squid on Harry, and sniffed at him. Opening her mouth, she gently bit down in the top of his head, not to hurt him, but to see if she could taste squid.
Harry was startled at the bite and first, and quite scared as well. It came out of nowhere! However, it...didn't hurt a bit. In fact, it actually made him giggle.
"Th-That tickles...!" He giggled out.
While the others had seen Tae bite people in the past as a sign of affection, they had never seen someone giggle at it. Tae was absorbed by the smell of squid, and everyone else listened to Harry giggle as the black-haired zombie continued to make him laugh. Sakura was unsure of how to take it all, but she did love to hear Harry's laugh. Even Tae had noticed Harry's giggles, and she was noticeably pleased to hear it as well, continuing to gently nip at the boy's head, until eventually, Sakura carefully moved Harry away, causing the unawakened zombie to whine. "That's enough for now Tae." Sakura said calmly. Tae moaned slightly but seemed to nod, understanding.
"So he's really gonna stay here?" Lily asked, hopping up and down on the balls of her feet. Sakura shrugged and smiled.
"If Kotaro says so, then I guess he is."
"Yay!" Lily rushed forward to get a better look at Harry. "I've always wanted to be a big sister! Can I hold him?!"
Sakura looked at Harry, who looked at Lily, then sighed. "Be very gentle, he's still rather shy." Slowly relinquishing Harry into Lily's arms, the small zombie seemed overjoyed to be holding him.
"Wow, he's really small and light!" The young zombie chirped. "Kinda like a little teddy bear!" Harry looked up at her timidly.
"I...I like teddies..."
"So do I!" Lily said with a grin. "And you're cuddly like one too!" Harry gave a small smile up at Lily and nuzzled a little bit closer.
Sakura put a hand to her mouth and giggled softly at the scene before her. "Aww... His first day here and he's already bonding with Tae and Lily..." She cooed. By now the others were looking at the two, feeling a sense of warmth at how happy Harry seemed.
"So Sakura... I take it your essentially his mother now?" Ai said looking over to her friend.
"I...I..." Sakura stammered trying to find an answer. "I don't know..."
Saki put her elbow on the red headed zombie's shoulder with a tooth-baring grin. "Ah, c'mon, girl, you're a total mombie! Don't deny it!" Sakura gave her friend a flat look.
"Mombie? Really?"
"Hey, you found the kid, fed him, comforted him, you've clearly bonded with him, and I think it's fair to say Harry's gotten attached to you."
"And Tae and Lily have gotten attached to him." Junko added.
"Yeah, but...MOMBIE?"
"Hey, you're just jealous you didn't come up with it first."
Sakura looked back at Harry and adorned a worried expression. Yugiri caught on. "What seems to trouble you, Lady Sakura?" She asked.
"Well... I wanna take care of him, but... Is it allowed? I mean... Will it have any negative effects on our group? I know that might be a selfish thought, but...We came so far..."
"I think the only issue would be when we have a show, but other than that. I doubt there'd be any negative effect." Saki stated. "I mean, look how happy he makes everyone, and he's been here all of five minutes."
Sakura smiled softly. "Yeah...I guess you're right..." She looked back at the boy interacting with Lily and smiled softly. "Aww..."
"Yes, adorable, but we have something vitally important to address." Kotaro approached Harry.. "Young man! You like Sakura and pals, right?!"
"Um...Y-Yes... They're super nice..."
"Well then! There is something vitally important you must know... Never, under any circumstances, should you ever let anyone know that they're zombies! Because if you do, they'll be hauled off to a lab! And the guys in white coats will do horrible things to them! And for the rest of your life, you'll have to imagine them in their cells, screaming "Harry! Why did you reveal our secret?!" Is that what you want?!"
"No!" Harry squeaked. "Miss Sakura's the first person whose ever been nice to me! I don't want anything to happen to them! I'll keep quiet! I promise!"
Sakura moved forward and took Harry into her arms, whispering soothingly to try and calm him down.
"I know honey, I know." She smiled. Then she shot Kotaro a glare. "Why would you scare him like that? Hasn't he already been through enough?" She scolded the man.
"Well, I just wanted to be sure I made my point." Kotaro replied with a shrug.
Sakura sighed and looked down at Harry. She saw how he clung to her, much like a child clinging to their mother. She smiled, knowing that not only did she know she could take care of him, but her friends would be there to support her all the way.
"Well, how about we introduce ourselves." Ai finally spoke up, getting Harry's attention. "Hi there little guy, my name's Ai. The Drama King over there is Kotaro..."
Junko gave the boy a small smile and a wave. "Hi there. My name is Junko. Nice to meet you."
"I'm your big sister, Lily!"
"Greetings, young Harry. I am Yugiri."
"You've met me and Sakura. The girl with the long black hair? That'd be Tae."
"Hi Miss Yuri.. Miss Lily..." Harry greeted, somewhat sheepishly.
"D'aw! He can't pronounce your name!" Lily teased.
Yugiri tilted her head. "Well, the poor boy is very young. It's only natural names would be difficult for him." She said calmly. Lily just giggled.
"Oh! We have to introduce Romero!" She remembered. Giving a brief whistle, a happy panting could be heard as a tiny dog came bouncing into the room. Harry was frightened somewhat by the dog's appearance, but the puppy seemed to run over to him and began bouncing up and down at Sakura's feet.
"Aww, Romero wants to meet you!" Sakura said with a smile. Harry was hesitant.
"H-He's not gonna bite me, right...? My aunt's dog liked to bite me a lot..."
"Of course not. He's a nice doggy!" Sakura said sweetly, getting down on her knees so Romero could look at Harry. The zombie dog sniffed the newcomer curiously, then let out a happy bark and licked Harry's cheek. His stubby tail wagging.
Harry let out a soft giggle at the feeling of the dog's tongue rubbing across his cheek. "G-Good doggie..." He said softly, reaching out and petting him. Romero barked in a happy way and continued licking his new friend. Harry scratched Romeo behind the ear, making Romeo rub up against his hand. Sakura smiled and held Harry so he could interact with the zombie dog freely. Romero hopped up and rested his front paws on Harry's arm, wanting to be held. Sakura adjusted Harry, setting him in one arm, and picked up Romeo in the other. Slowly handing the puppy to Harry, the small boy giggled as he held the puppy in his arms. Romero seemed excited to be held by his new best friend.
"Good doggy!" Harry laughed as the zombie puppy continued to lick his face. The girls all smiled warmly at the scene, save for Tae, who kept her trademark blank stare. Ai noticed something, however...
"He hasn't been eating enough, has he?"
"No." Sakura frowned. "When I found him, he was eating out of the garbage. After his family left him there." Ai's eyes shot open in shock and she grolwed somewhat before shaking her head.
"That isn't right." The zombie grumbled. Ai turned to go into the kitchen. "I'm going to make some soup... He's probably starving half to death by now..." Sakura smiled after her friend.
"Thank you, Ai." Picking up Harry and Romero, Sakura walked into the main room and sat down on a couch, setting Harry on her lap and wrapping her arms around him. "How do you like your new home little guy?" Sakura asked.
"It's so pretty." Harry smiled. Romero yipped and seemed to be asking for more attention, and Harry went back to petting the puppy.
Sakura giggled. "Yeah...It is a nice place, isn't it?" She watched Harry play with the dog for a little longer before she heard footsteps.
"All right, the soup is on." Ai said as she entered the room.
"C'mon Harry, it's supper time." Sakura smiled, picking Harry up again.
"But... wasn't what you gave me my weekly fill?" Harry asked timidly. Sakura froze and looked down at Harry shocked.
"W..weekly fill?" She asked, horrified.
"Uh-huh...I get something once a week and that's it. Usually it's bread but sometimes I get leftovers from the stuff I make... The leftovers are my favourite..." Sakura pulled Harry into a tight embrace, a few silent tears running down her face.
"No." She muttered. "No that won't do... Harry, we'll make sure you're fed everyday, don't you worry about a thing."
Harry was confused but also shocked by the statement. Why was Miss Sakura being so nice to him? He wanted to ask, but found himself in a dining hall with the other women, so decided he could ask later.
He sat in silence as Sakura set him down in a chair, and he blinked as a little bowl of soup was put in front of him. "Um...Th-Thank you..." He said softly.
"No problem sweetie, now eat up." Ai grinned, continuing to place bowls down for the others as they all sat down. Harry seemed confused about how to eat the soup, and it took him a few attempts to get a spoonful that didn't accidentally fall back into the bowl.
He put the spoonful of soup to his mouth and slurped it up, only to wince as he felt it burn his tongue. "Nn...Hot..." The boy whined softly. Almost immediately, Sakura was there. She gently took his hand and scooped another spoonful, then blew on it gently, before slowly guiding Harry's hand to his mouth. The soup this time was warm, and more importantly, delicious.
"There, isn't that better?" Sakura calmly asked. Harry let out a soft hum of delight at the delicious warm food, and Sakura giggled softly. "Aww, I'll take that as a yes. Okay, here's another one down the hatch!" Harry opened his mouth and Sakura continued to scoop spoonfuls of soup up and gently feed him, all the while, the others were eating, but all couldn't help but grin at the cute sight before them of Sakura taking care of Harry.
Finally, Harry finished his food, and Sakura smiled. Then the boy let out a soft yawn, causing the young zombie to tilt her head to the side. "Oh, looks like someone's ready for a nap."
"But I'm not tir-" Harry began to insist but was cut off by a yawn. "I need to help clean and..." Sakura tenderly picked Harry up, resting his head against her chest and shushing him calmly.
"C'mon sweetie, it's nap time." She smiled. She walked upstairs with the boy held snugly against her bosom, patting his back gently as she entered her bedroom. She approached her bed, pulling back the pink-coloured blankets so she could drape them over the boy's tiny, frail body. Grabbing the teddy bear she'd been given as a gift for a performance at a children's charity event, she placed it in the boy's tiny arms gently.
Harry seemed to clutch the small bear closely to his chest, cooing cutely as he seemed to be getting comfortable under the blankets. Gently stroking his head, Sakura hummed another calming lullaby to lull him to sleep. In a matter of moments, Harry could be heard peacefully sleeping, but as he drifted off, Sakura could've sword she heard Harry mumble a single word.
"Mommy."
The girl stiffened and her face turned beet red. She clenched her fists and held them up under her chin, letting out a soft squeal. Giving the boy a grin, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Good night Harry... I love you." Sakura whispered into his ear. It was true... Even despite just meeting the boy, he had brought out a motherly side she'd never known she'd had, or ever get to use... She'd hoped to be a mother someday when she was alive... Now, thanks to Harry, she had the chance to do so after death.
Giving Harry one last kiss on the cheek, she quietly crept back to the door, feeling something move past her, and smiled as Romero walked past and into the bedroom, jumping up onto the bed and curling up next to Harry. With one last smile, Sakura closed the door.
