Yumiko got the soup all warmed up and ready. She got down two bowls and got out two spoons, carefully she poured soup into both the bowls. Running to the fridge she brought out the butter and cut two small chunks and put it over the soup bowls and let them melt into the delicious soup. Grabbing the pepper shaker beside her she added the final touch to the soup, she put both the bowl on a tray and carried it back to the area where N.N. was seated.

Yumiko smiled, "A warm snack is ready" she said kindly as she set the tray down on the small glass coffee table behind him. She took the pile of winter clothes that were beside her and set it beside her school bag, Yumiko looked at N.N. for a moment and she got a bright look in her eyes. She ran up to her room with out a word, moments later she came back down with a clean sheet, she held the sheet out to N.N. "Here, you can use this if you want. I can wash your other sheet for you" she told him smiling.

The homeless teen could smell the warm soup before the other even brought out, he could feel his stomach growling from his throat. No Name was about to stand but when the girl suddenly left, he stayed on the stool where he sat not sure if he was suppose to stay where he was or not. When she returned with a sheet, Nameless couldn't help but laugh. What he wore was actually a blanket but it thinned out so bad through out the years, it may as well have been a sheet. He stood on his warmed feet and went over to the little glass table, then started to empty out the makeshift pockets. It was mainly miscellaneous items that he had found and collected from the sidewalks and street gutters. He then started to undo the folds and held the fabric in his arms, revealing pale, dirty, and scarred skin on his thin body, and his long dark hair snarled and knotted with dirt and grim. He only wore dirty, torn and worn out shorts and the wrappings around his feet.

He looked down at himself and shifted uncomfortablly. "I-I'm sorry about m-my appearance." He mumbled lowly as he took the clean sheet from Yumiko and quickly wrapped himself up to hide himself.

Yumiko looked at him slightly confused as he laughed at her. Yumiko giggled as he pulled out different things from her pocket, he was adorable, like a small child. Yumiko saw he was dressed in tatters, she tried to think if her brother had any old clothes he never wore any more. Yumiko would need to check for N.N. after she had given him a bath. Yumiko gave him a small smile, “Don’t worry, it isn’t that bad” she told him grinning kindly. She frowned at his hair, “Hold on..” she said abruptly. She took the blanket from N.N.’s shoulder and put it over the couch arm. “Follow me” she told him kindly. With her last orders, she was on the stairs and motioning him upwards towards the direction of a closed room.

While Yumiko waited for him to follow her she opened the bathroom and opened the light, she opened the drawers and pulled out a pair of scissors. He needed a haircut, and bad. There was a small stool in there, she grabbed a bucket and filled it with warm water, she would need to be extra careful while cutting his unruly hair.

Nameless was staring at the hot bowls of soup when the girl took the sheet from him and said to follow, then left quickly. Honestly, the teen was confused but he didn't want to go against her after all she has done so far for him. He followed her, trying to ignore the encloseness when he came upon stairs and saw that Yumiko was already at the top, he found himself unable to ignore the feeling anymore. "Y-Yumik-ko?" He called softly, actually scared to go up the stairs. He wasn't good with high places, small spaces and he wasn't very good with balance so stairs were about a nightmare for him. No Name gritted his teeth and slowly started to climb up the stairs on all fours, basically crawlings up like a child.

When he got to the last step, No Name shot up and into the room where the other had gone. He closed the door behind him and was panting, holding back panic tears. In the eyes of another, he about looked like a wild child that was trapped in a corner.

Yumiko was surprised when she heard the door slam and looked up at N.N. with wide, unblinking eyes. The boy looked like he had just seen a ghost. She walked over to him and tousled his hair, "N.N..." she whispered, "Are you okay?" as she spoke there was a small frown on his face, he looked like he was about too cry. Yumiko awkwardly put her arms around the boy and gave him a soft hug and whispered comforting words in his ear, much like Yumiko's brother did when she was panicked over something. "It's okay..." she said softly. Yumiko continued to pat his back, "What's wrong? Did...you see something?" she asked him, her eyebrows slightly raised as she had no idea how to approach him about his problem. Yumiko guided him to sit on the stool that was in the corner in the bathroom.

Yumiko decided it was a bad idea to leave the boy alone, after all...he had probably never been inside a house before. Yumiko sighed and rolled the sleeves of her uniform up till her elbows, she was still dressed in her school clothes. She took a hold of N.N.'s hand and patted it like a little child unsure of how to comfort someone.

Nameless flinched when he was touched, and trembled in her arms when she hugged him. He couldn't really hear her words or really acknowledge it was her. He started to calm down though after a little bit when he was seated. No Name's breathing regulated and his trembling slowed, then he blinked his dark blue-green eyes back to reality when he felt something warm on his hand.

Nameless looked down at his own hand and saw someone else's hands where holding his. "Wh-what?" He mumbled, not really remembering what happened. He followed the arm that belonged to the other hand and saw the girl. No Name had to stare at her for a moment then he smiled awkwardly when he recognized who she was. His face flushed and he quickly looked down away from her. "I'm s-sorry." He said quickly and quietly.

"Are you okay? You seemed...scared just moments ago" she whispered quietly. Yumiko blinked at him, she couldn't figure it out. One minute N.N. was terrified and the other moment he seemed, almost to blank out and not remember anything for a few seconds. She looked at him confused. Yumiko returned his awkward smile with one of her own, "No, don't worry about it. You probably aren't used to these kinds of things" she said with a small nod. "Now, tell me. Is something bothering you?" Yumiko tilted her head and looked at him, he had beautiful eyes, the colour was one she rarely saw on people before.

Yumiko pulled out her hand from his gently and brought the bucket of water closer to N.N. she grabbed the pair of scissors that were on the counter and stood behind him. "I think you need a much pending hair cut, so please try to not make any sudden movements." she told him kindly. Before she started to snip away at his hair she looked at N.N. "You...don't mind me cutting your hair...right?" she asked the boy carefully, she didn't want to startle him again after all.

When her hand slipped from his, Nameless clenched his fist lightly, wanting to hold it still. He continued to sit where he was and let the other do as she pleases. "I-I'm sorry. I don't d-do well with stairs." He mumbled lowly. Maybe he should tell her, but he didn't want to cause her more bother as it was, but if he didn't and he blanked out again. . . . Nameless sighed deeply to try and relax himself.

No Name heard the last of her words and hesitated. The messy mass of hair and grime actually helped keep him warm by acting as a thick layer to block wind. Eventualy he shook his head slightly. "N-no, I don't m-mind." He said, with a small smile as he put his hands in his lap and tried to ignore the encloseness again that the bathroom made.

"You're scared of heights?" she asked him innocently, "So I am.." she told him giggling. She was deathly terrified of heights, Yumiko usually fainted or felt light headed when she was really high above the ground, it was a wonder she didn't back down the diving board when she went swimming with her friends. She smiled when he said he didn't mind, she took a small mug full of water and poured it over his head. She knew his clothes would get wet but she had some of her older brothers waiting for him. "I'm sorry if the water makes you feel uncomfortable, I have some extra clothes for you once I'm done" she told him apologetically.

Yumiko patiently washed all the dirt and grime out of his hair and then gently combed his hair out of knots. She winced as she felt herself tug too hard at a knot that seemed too stubborn to be real. "Sorry" she said to N.N, finally after the knot was out she began to cut his hair. After what seemed like an eternity of working on his thick, mangled and unruly hair she had it the way she wanted. It was just a bit under his ear and hair that fell in front of his eyes like bangs were trimmed. Yumiko tilted her head and smiled, "I think you look great!" she said grinning. "Take a look" she said laughing and pointed to the mirror near the bath tub.

Nameless flinched in surprise when water was poured over his head, the water left streaks on his skin as dirt was washed away, then darkened as the dirt from his hair washed over his skin. "O-okay," He mumbled in reply about extra clothes, as he squeezed his eyes shut to keep water from getting in his eyes. This was actually the closest thing he had ever had for a bath, that he could remember. He grunted slightly in pain as he hair was tugged, pulled, and yanked. "I-it's fine." He grumbled when she apologized. He sighed in relief when she started to cut that hair, glad that the brushing was over. His head and scalp had never been this sore before, and as his hair was cut away, Nameless started to feel more and more light headed since the weight of the hair was lessening.

Nameless would have sighed in relief when Yumiko spoke again, knowing it was over now. He looked back at her, then at the mirror she pointed at. He stood from the stool, his thin, torn, wornout short clung to him from the water that soaked in, and little swayish on his feet without the weight of his hair, and looked into the mirror. He blinked in surprise at the young man he saw in the mirror, it looked strange to him to see himself more-or-less clean with such short hair. Almost hesiantly, he ran a hand through the short dark hair, then turned his head to Yumiko and smile warmly at her. "Thank you, Yumiko!" He said, without a trace of a stutter.

Yumiko smiled, her own sleeves were almost drenched with water. "I'm glad you like it so much N.N!" she giggled, her mouth fell slightly open. "Y..you didn't stutter!" she whispered, her mouth was open and she stared at him. Yumiko quickly closed her mouth and blushed slightly, "Sorry" she said with a small laugh. She was stunned that such a small thing like a hair cut could give some one confidence! Yumiko realized that he should probably have a shower while he was in the bathroom. She walked over to the tub and let the water run until it warmed, she filled up the bath tub with water and then added a bit of bubbles to make it more fun, after all...he was still a teen close to her age.

"I think you should take a shower while you are here" she told him grinning. "The towels are on the rack and once you are done call and I will hand you a fresh pair of clothes" she said once again and she turned off the tap to prevent the tub from over flowing. "And, the soap is right there" she told N.N pointing to the soap holder located neatly beside the tub. She stood beside the tub waiting to see if he had any questions before she left.

No Name continued to smile at her, then blinked in confusion when she apologized. He watched her move about the bathroom, and then started the water. "A sh-shower?" He repeated, then looked over when she pointed. "What is s-soap for?" He asked, not knowing since he never used it before.

"Yes, a shower" she said softly. "You wash your self" she said with a small shrug. She scooped up water in one of her cupped hands and poured it over the arm, "Like this" she said as she demonstrated. "And the soap is used to scrub yourself" she said with a small shrug. That was the best way she could explain, "It helps to get all the dirt out" she offered him another weak smile as she explained this too him. "So, just yell for me if you need anything I suppose. I will be right outside the door so no worries okay?" she told him with another smile as she made her way towards the door but not quite going out yet. She wondered if everything was clear too him, he still looked sort of...uncertain.

Nameless watched her intently as she explained to him, and when she was done, he nodded slowly in slight understanding. He smiled awkwardly at her, as she walked to the door. "O-okay." He said. "No worries." No Name didn't want to bother her too much, so he tried to reassure her that he understood. "Th-thank you, again."

Yumiko smiled, "No problem" she nodded her head and left the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind her. She sighed as she slid down against the door and yawned slightly. She was so tired, Yumiko closed her eyes for a few moments. She let herself relax before getting up and dragging herself to her room to change out of her school uniform. After Yumiko had changed she stretched out her body yawing big again, she realized that their soup was still on the living room table. She would need to warm it up again for it too be edible.

As the door closed, the small space around him seemed to have gotten even smaller. Nameless gulped and took a few deep breaths to keep himself in check so he wouldn't start to freak out like he had done before. He didn't want to worry Yumiko like that again, it wouldn't be fair on her.

No Name went over to the tub and carefully put his hand in the warm bubbly water then smiled slightly. Slowly, he climbed in the tub with his shorts on, and used the soap to wash himself like how it was demostrated.

Yumiko ran downstairs and put the soup bowls into a microwave and put the timer for ten minutes before pressing start. She figured even if the soup boiled a little it would be warm enough to eat by the time N.N. had finished taking his bath. Yumoko grabbed her blazer, N.N's blanket and went down to the basement to toss it in the washing, she also had her uniform slung over her shoulder. She put in enough soap to clean the clothes and sheet, she let the basement door stay ajar as she ran up to her brothers bedroom.

She opened up his closet and went through it, rearranging as she did. Yumiko found a pair of shorts and t-shirt that looked a bit too small to fit her brother, she also pulled out a full sleeved shirt for N.N. to wear at night. She neatly folded the clothes and brought it back with her as she sat down beside the bathroom door waiting for him to be done. Yumiko yawned again and closed her eyes, she slumped sideways and put her face down on the carpet. Yumiko seemed to close her eyes only for a few seconds and then.

By the time that N.N. had almost finishing washing the bathwater was a nasty brown and the bubbles that remained where also brown. Carefully, he climbed out of the tub, dripping wet and scrubbed down to the skin, and still in the now soaked shorts. Nameless shook the water from his hair, still a little giddy from the hair cut. It was actually the first time his hair got shortened by someone who was nice about it.

The nameless teen went over to the towels that Yumiko had also pointed out earlier and dried himself up a bit. "Y-Yumiko?" He said, forcing his voice to be louder than it's usual mumble. He had the towel over his head as he carefully opened the door, remembering the dreaded stairs were out there. He blinked in surprise when he saw the girl was on the floor. He quickly knelt down beside her and touched her shoulder. "A-are you okay?" No Name asked, worried something to her.

Yumiko stirred when she felt someone touch her shoulder, "Na..ne..." she muttered in Japanese. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawing like a little child as she did so. Yumiko tilted her head and stared at N.N and blushed suddenly, "I..I'm so sorry! I must have fallen asleep!" she told him with a small nervous giggle. She leaned in and sniffed N.N and smiled, "You smell nice" she told him more as a matter-o-fact than as a statement. Yumiko handed the boy the clothes she had gathered, "You can change into the full sleeves when sleeping, it'll help to keep you warmer" she told him with a small smile.

Yumiko stood up after making sure N.N was okay and guided herself into the bathroom. A small smile played over her lips as she saw the amount of dirt N.N had gotten rid of by bathing, she giggled. This was, of course what Yumiko had expected. She bent over and unclogged the bathtub and watched as the water went down the drain, after the last bit of muddy water was gone she rinsed out the tub so it was spotless and clean, just the way her brother had left it. "Feel better after the bath?" she asked him still smiling.

Nameless sighed in relief when she spoke and sat up. He smiled at her, understanding that she may have been tired, No Name himself had fallen asleep in more stranger places than this. He blinked confused when she sniffed him and blushed slightly at her comment. No Name held the clothes he was given and stood as he watched her go back into the bathroom. He pulled the shirt on, having alittle trouble because his skin was still damp. Now that he was clean, his skin seemed almost deathly pale and quite a bit of scars were now visible over his body.

By the time he actually got the shirt on, Yumiko had already cleaned out the tub. He nodded to her with a warm smile. "Y-yes, thank you." He mumbled, then held the pants up to show he still needed to change from the shorts. He may have lived on the streets for a long as he can remember, but he had learned the hard way about certains things. Changing infront of girls was one of them. He blinked in confusion and tilted his heard when he heard a 'ding' from down stairs, not knowing it was a microwave.

Yumiko smiled at him, he was even paler than Yumiko's own milky pale skin. "No problem" she said grinning at him. "Sorry I fell asleep...it's just...been a long day at school" she said nodding. "Oh yes," she said as she saw him holding up his pants, "of course, I shall leave you to change and by the time you come down stairs I will have dinner ready for the two of us" she told him sweetly as she turned around and left the bathroom. She walked down the stairs carefully as she still gently swayed from sleepiness. The 'ding' he had heard had been the microwave, indicating that the soup was warmed.

Yumiko went to the fridge and took out some fried noodles she had made this morning, she started to warm it over stove carefully. Her mind started to wander as she thought about today's events. Suddenly, she found herself screaming. It took her a moment to realize she had burnt her own hand. Tears welled up in the girls eyes as she turned off the stove and ran to the sink and let the cold water run over her hand, she whimpered, it really hurt.

Nameless nodded thanks as Yumiko left him to finish changing. He had gotten dressed in the clothes that were given to him. No Name was trying to finish drying his hair with a towel, when he heard a scream. "Yumiko!" He said.

The teen left the bathroom and hurried down the stairs, barely noticing the small steep space. "What happened? Are you okay?" He asked, quickly as he saw the girl at the sink.

Yumiko gave a small nod, her eyes were watering from the pain. "It's...nothing I was just being stupid and I sort of burnt my hand" she said with a light laugh, trying to pass it off as a joke. She showed him her hand which was beginning to become slightly red. She gave him a small shrug, "Umm...will you do me a favour and grab the bowls from that cabinet?" she asked him pointing to the cabinet above the stove. Yumiko shook the excess water off her hands and wrapped in the kitchen towel that was beside the stove.

With her other good hand she took out some plates and two forks. She smiled weakly at N.N, "Would you mind serving dinner for the both of us" she asked gently. Awaiting his reply she popped open the microwave and carefully took out the two bowls of soup. She took the soups to the family room table one by one, being careful not to spill any on to the carpeted floor.

"S-serve?" He repeated, not really sure what she ment. N.N. got the bowls from the cabinet that was pointed at and just followed the other into the living room. "A-are you sure your o-okay?" He asked.

(Sorry for the short reply.)

Yumiko gave him a small smile, she had forgotten, he wasn't used to all this. She set the soups down on the table, "It's okay, you can just stay here and start drinking the soup. You still look like you could use the warmth" she said kindly. Yumiko took the bowls from his hand and headed back to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'm fine!" she yelled back as she grabbed forks from the drawers to scoop the noodles from the pan on the stove. Yumiko made sure to shovel lots into N.N's bowl, she knew that he was probably starving. She glanced up at the clock on the kitchen wall, it was nearly eight thirty. She sighed, her brother was working a late shift tonight, she hoped the storm would die down by the time he was back.

[[ It's alright C: ]]