A Little Spirit

Six awoke the next day and nearly jumped when he saw Spirit curled up next to him.  He sighed and got up to take a shower and change in the bathroom.  Six yawned and vaguely wondered how the little girl was able to sneak into bed with him.
He sat at his desk and pulled out a book.  There was no way that Six was going to let her wake up alone and panic.

There was a knock on his door and Six got up to answer it.

"Spirit is missing," Holiday, said frankly.

Six shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about it."

"You're the one who brought her home."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," his expression darkening.

"It's not!  Just so long as you keep an eye on her!"

"She's safe."

Holiday raised an eyebrow to that.  She had wanted to question Six but gave up, knowing that he would never tell her anyway.  Once that man got it into his head that he wanted to protect something there was no changing his mind let alone getting him to open up.  To Spirit Holiday was an enemy therefore; Six was going to be wary of her until the little girl got over her silly fear.

Holiday frowned, "Well when you find her she needs proper clothing.  So take her shopping."

"Me?  I thought..."

"It can't be me she's afraid of me," Holiday said bitterly, "Ask Callan if one of the grunts can do it then."

Spirit crawled out from under the bed and stared up at Six as he closed the door.  She smiled.  He nodded.  She pointed to his old katana and then pointed to her hair.

"You want a hair cut?"

Spirit nodded and pointed to him.

"I'm not a barber."

She gave him a pleading look.

Six sighed and headed for the door, "Come on."

Spirit smiled and held his hand as they went to the kitchen.  Rex and Bobo were already there making pigs of themselves.

"Sit," Six said as he went to get a knife.

Spirit didn't shrink away in fear this time.  Six couldn't help but feel a little bit pleased that she seemed to trust him more.

He began cutting large chunks of the tangled mass she called hair.  Six tried his best to even it out.  Spirit's new hairstyle was a shaggy mass of curls that came to her chin.  She looked at her self in the window and smiled at her reflection.  Spirit turned to Six and flung her arms about his waist.  He smiled and patted her head, causing Rex to choke on his orange juice.  Bobo slapped him on the back as orange juice came out his mouth and dripped down his nose.

Six looked over at the two and raised an eyebrow at their antics.  Spirit gave Rex a concerned look and began to wonder how someone could drown in a glass of orange juice.  Rex sighed as he watched Six interact with the little girl.  There was just something so hot about a man who was good with kids.

Rex smiled, 'Scratch that, a hot ninja who was good with kids.'

"Hey!  Hey kid!  Rex!" Bobo said waving his hand in front of Rex's face.

"Huh?" Rex said as he snapped out of his hormone-induced trance.

Six was wondering what the hell was going through that boy's mind and why he was staring at him like that...  Rex smiled and walked over to Spirit.  He offered her his hand.  He frowned as she shied away from him.

"I'm Rex.  What's your name?"

Spirit gave him a sad smile and showed him the scar on her throat.

"Huh?"

"Spirit can't speak," Six informed him.

"Oh.  Sorry.  Listen, I know scared you last night.  I'm sorry.  Want to be friends?  I can sneak you out of this place whenever you want."

Spirit slowly nodded at the first part but hugged Six and shook her head at the last part.
Rex snorted and began laughing, "Oh Boy.  You're gunna be a daddy's girl, aren't you?"
Six blushed ever so slightly.  He looked away but it was already too late.  Spirit stared up at him utterly confused.  Rex smiled at his poor embarrassed "nanny".

Bobo finished his coffee and checked the little girl out, "You know she ain't half bad for a human.  A little scrawny though."

Spirit shook her head and held up her hands.  A swirling white crystalline aura appeared, weaving itself between her fingers.  She squeezed her tiny hands into fists and it disappeared.

"An EVO?  What can she do?" Bobo asked.

"Heal," Six said with a smirk as he placed his hand on her head.

"Cool," Rex said with a cocky grin, "I can do this."

He showed off his massive metal fists causing Spirit to jump and cling to Six.  She tilted her head to the side and shyly patted one of his arms.  She was curious as to whether or not doing such a thing hurt the older boy though considering her healing powers didn't activate she figured he was alright.  

Spirit cautiously stepped forward, away from her new comfort zone, and shook one of Rex's massive fingers.  His arms returned to normal.  Spirit stared at them curiously.

Rex grinned, "Lets go.  Holiday says that you need clothing.  You can't go around in Six's undershirt for the rest of your life."

Spirit looked to Six.

"I have a report to fill out."

She looked to Bobo.

"I have a crate of bananas to blow up."

Spirit gave the monkey an odd look, but nodded nonetheless and held Rex's hand as they left.
Six watched them leave with a small smile on his face, deciding that it would be nice for them to develop a close, sibling-like bond.

'Maybe it will get Rex to calm down some...'

He went to his room and began writing up a report on the horrors that befell the people in that lab.  It was dull and routine but it was necessary to see that justice was served to the poor people who lost their lives and Providence's little survivor.

Rex had no idea whatsoever as to how to shop for little girl's clothing.  So he picked out things that looked like it would fit her and let her decide what she liked.  Spirit preferred calming colors.  She kept staring at the blues and purples.  He grinned when he spied a certain shirt.

"You want to mess with Six?" Rex asked.

Spirit tilted her head to the side.

He held up a black shirt that said "Daddy's Girl" in bright glittery pink.  She scrunched her nose up but got it anyway, thinking it would be funny to see the quiet, stoic man blush again.

Rex grinned, "Oh I'm going to love having you around.  I can pull the pranks and you can put on your cute act and I won't get in trouble!"

Spirit smiled and nodded.  It sounded like a fun game to play with her new friend.  They wondered the mall.  Spirit was in her new clothes a pair of black ballet flats, black jeans, a black choker around her neck and her "Daddy's Girl" shirt.  She tugged his arm when she saw the "Build-A-Bear" place.

Rex sighed and remembered the time he had thought about taking Circe or even Doc Holiday here to make each other bears.  The idea no longer seemed to be as appealing as it once was for some reason.  Rex sat down and watched as Sprit picked out a white and light green bunny.  He laughed at the ridiculous idea of Six being a bunny.  He looked to the stuffed animal next to him and raised an eyebrow.  It was a green dragon.  That was more like Six even if it was a European styled dragon.

The dragon kept staring at him, almost mockingly.  Rex sighed and flagged down a sales girl...

So in the end Spirit got her Six Bunny and Rex got a green dragon, which he hid in one of the clothing bags.  Though best of all was the hug that his new mija gave him.  It was hard to decide what Spirit was more like as a result of her ordeal.  She still somehow retained a child-like innocence but something told Rex that she was more mature than she let on.
Spirit had her bunny clutched tightly to her chest, hiding the text on her shirt.  Six was standing outside of Providence with a frown on his face.

"Any longer and I would've sent out a search party."

Rex rolled his eyes, "You worry too much."

Spirit ran up to Six and showed him her bunny.

Six smirked, "Yes, I see.  It's a very nice bunny."

"Dude you suck at talking to children," Rex said with a grin, "Show Six your shirt."

Spirit opened her arms wide as though she were asking for a hug.  Six raised an eyebrow and blushed ever so slightly.  Rex chuckled.  It was nice seeing Six expressing something other than grumpiness or bemusement.  Six gave Rex a bemused look and patted Spirit on the head.

Rex grinned at the older man then turned to Spirit, "Come on mija.  I'm going to introduce you to mi hermano.  He's a scientist but not the bad kind.  You'll like him.  Cesar is weird."

Spirit looked to Six for approval.  She was a little wary about the idea of meeting a scientist.  Six nodded.  She smiled and took Rex's hand as he went to her room and dropped off her clothing first.  He hid the stuffed dragon someplace safe so Bobo wouldn't find it and tease him about it.

Rex took her to Cesar's lab where his eccentric older brother was making a lime coconut smoothie.

"Hey mijo.  You're right on time for...  Who do we have here?"

"Cesar this is Spirit," Rex said, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

Cesar bent down to her level, "Hola.  Would you like a smoothie?"

Spirit shook her head.

"I don't think her stomach could handle it.  She was the sole survivor of that lab in Texas."

"I see...  Who's her daddy then?" He asked pouring two glasses full of smoothie goodness.

"Six is more or less.  He took her in like h took me in," Rex said taking a sip.

"Well that explains the green bunny..."

Spirit looked at a monitor, squinting ever so slightly.

"Can't you see that?" Rex asked.

Spirit nodded.

"Is it a little fuzzy?" Cesar asked.

She nodded again.

"Ah.  Must need glasses."

"But she can heal.  You'd think she'd be able to heal that."

"Her healing might be limited to injuries and illness.  If you guys just got her yesterday and she was really weak and sick then she's looking very good for someone who would normally be bedridden."

"Think you can make glasses for her?"

"I have to test her vision first.  What do you say?"

Spirit nodded.

Cesar leaned over to Rex, "She's mute isn't she?"

"Yeah.  Scar on her throat."

Cesar frowned, "I wonder if there is a way to jump start her powers so she can heal her voice..."

"Maybe another time.  Lets worry about the glasses first."

"Right.  Sit yourself down and we'll check your eyes.  Nod if one is better than the other, shake your head if its worse, and wave your hand if I have to go back one.  Okay?"

Spirit nodded and sat down, holding onto Rex's hand as the lights were turned off.  She wasn't afraid of the dark.  It was the machines and the funny noises they made that she feared.

It wasn't long before Cesar had her prescription written down.

"Okay.  You're free to go.  I'll have a pretty pair of silver glasses for your pretty grey eyes," Cesar said.

Spirit hesitated at first but slowly hugged Cesar about the waist.  She had no other way of saying thank you so she let the warm token of affection do it for her.  Cesar chuckled and patted her on the back.

Rex took her to the kitchens for dinner.  Holiday was there.  Spirit froze up and hid behind Rex.  Rex stood perfectly still as the poor girl clung to his jacket out of fear.  Holiday gave him an odd look before leaving.

"Hello little lady.  Remember me?  I was the one who flew us home last night," Callan said with a grin.

Spirit smiled shyly and nodded.

"You look a lot better.  I wasn't sure you'd make it.  Good thing Six is so stubborn.  Is he goin' to be your new daddy?"

Spirit shrugged.

Rex grinned, "I put her up to that."

Callan laughed as he got himself a couple of slices of pizza, "I'll bet you did."

He messed up Spirit's hair, resulting in a tangled mass of fuzz, "Let me know if you want to learn how to shoot when you're older.  We'll turn you into a soldier like Rex."

Spirit nodded and saluted him much to Callan and Rex's amusement.  Rex got some pizza for himself while Spirit had some chicken and stars.  Rex told her a bit about how he and Six first met, leaving out the part where White nearly had him killed…  Spirit listened to him ramble on with wide-eyed wonderment.  It as then that she quickly decided that Six was definitely her new most favorite person in the whole wide world.

Rex took her to her room and helped her get ready for bed.  Six watched them from the hallway as Rex read her "Alice in Wonderland".  It seemed as though he found just the person to help him looked after the little girl…

There was a storm later that night.  Six was wide-awake and staring at the ceiling.  He could never sleep well during a thunderstorm…  It stormed so violently on that horrible night…

Six expected Spirit to sneak into his bed again.  Instead he heard someone sneaking out...  He got up, expecting it to be Rex trying to sneak out for one reason or another.
Six grabbed his bathrobe and went outside.  There, he saw Spirit staring up at the lightening streaked sky with a look of wonder on her sweet face.

"Spirit?"

The little girl jumped and turned to face him.  She ran to him and held his hand with a grin on her face.  Spirit held her hand out in the rain, loving the feeling of it against her skin.  Six gave her a small smile.

"Lets go inside and watch from the windows.  I'll make tea," Six said.

Spirit nodded and began to lead the way, trying to drag the much bigger and stronger man behind her.  He made them some tea and they watched the storm together in silence until the little girl fell asleep.  Six carried her to her room and smiled when he saw the green bunny tucked into bed with its head on the pillow.

Rex was passing by when he saw her door open, "Hey.  Need help?"

"Yeah."

Rex moved the bunny and pulled the covers back.  Six gently lay Spirit on the bed and smoothed out her wild and slightly damp hair.  Rex covered her back up and laid the bunny next to her.

"Thanks."

Rex raised an eyebrow.  It wasn't often that Six accepted help or even thanked someone for it.  He smiled.

"Sure.  Night man."

Rex continued on his way to the kitchen for a midnight snack of cold pizza.  Six went to bed.