Neo breathed in the cool night air, enjoying the silence of the night as she took a late evening stroll. Twirling her parasol, she smirked as she stepped. Roman had let her take time off, so she spent it in silence, as usual. But the silence was split by a scream.

She blinked in confusion and looked around at her surroundings. Who on Earth could be screaming in such a boring looking neighbourhood?

Smirking and looking for trouble, she clomped over to house she heard it from, twirling her parasol and disappearing the house. It was dark, chemical smelling, and she heard a light sobbing. She stomped over to the source, a cupboard.

Tilting her head curiously, she lightly knocked on the door of the small cupboard and pressed her ear against it to hear the response.

"S-sorry uncle Vernon! I..." it quieted down.

Neo pulled the cupboard open silently and peeked in, shocked at what she saw.

First of all, the cupboard smelled absolutely abysmal. It smelled like blood and human wastes...But what really got her attention was the tiny figure, a toddler from the looks of it, lying in a small pool of his own blood, in the fetal position, battered and bruised with a broken leg.

Neo covered her mouth and leaned in, snatching up the little one. The young one barely reacted to being picked up. He didn't even look at her...

Neo was jolted from her thoughts by the sounds of footsteps. "Boy! What are you doing?!" came the voice from upstairs. Following torchwicks orders, she placed the boy back in and teleported out.

She scowled angrily as she watched the man yank the boy from his cupboard and scream furiously in the terrified little boy's face through the window.

Neo, promising him silently she'd come back, was forced to turn away from the scene and return to curfew. She felt awful... She would have to talk to Roman about getting permission to put a stop to this child's horrid a sigh she teleported back to base.

*next day*

Neo stomped up the Roman, with a handful of cue cards. Roman turned and grinned, "Hello Neo. You look angry."She held up a cue card that said "Roman, I have something important to tell you." Roman sighed, turning away from the table of documents, "Be quick, i'm very busy." She held up another card that said, "There's an abused child." but a speaker came on, saying, "Roman, Emerald and Mercury need you."

Roman shrugged, grabbing his can and saying "Later Neo!" and swaggering down the hall. Neo reached out for her boss with a hand, then narrowed her eyes and stomped her foot with a pout, dropping her cue cards all over the floor.

Picking up the cards and shoving them in her pocket, she teleported back to house on the boring street, arriving in the backyard. There she saw the child again, doing yard work?! It was a hundred and two degress out! She watched from a distance for a moment, checking him up.

She placed a hand on her hip and frowned when she saw how boiling hot he was...She looked at her parasol, blinked, then smirked when she realized it was perfect for such weather.

Jumping the fence, she went over and held it over the child, who flinched and turned around seeing- a pretty lady? She said nothing, merely holding the parasol over him, cooling him off.

"H-hi..."

Neo smiled with her eyes closed and waved cheerfully, then knelt down by the child's side, holding her parasol over his tiny form.

"um... are you a ghost?" he asked. He'd heard that some ghosts were nice, and this pretty lady had appeared to help him twice. The lady grinned and shook her head.

She gently held out her hand to him so he could touch it and see that she was, indeed not a ghost. Harry looked at it timidly for a moment, and Neo gave him an encouraging smile and moved her hand closer.

Harry reached out a shaking hand and poked it, flinching back. But when nothing happened he reached to touch it again, but his work still remained... he turned his attention away and got back to work.

Neo smirked and stayed by his side as he did his work, keeping her parasol held over him and ignoring the blistering heat of the sun. Harry had eventually begun having innocent little one-sided conversations with her.

"um... I have to do yardwork because i'll get in trouble if I don't..."

Neo nodded in understanding, but didn't move.

"Do you talk? Are you not allowed to talk too?"

Neo smirked. She bent down, and placed her mouth near his ear, whispering something softly into his ear."Oh ok... you're quiet. I like your name... i'm freak..." Neo frowned, nudging him lightly. "What miss neo?" Neo shook her head. "Huh...? What is it?" She whispered in his ear again. "M-My real name...? It...It's Harry..." Neo grinned and rubbed his back gently. But her senses told her something was coming... she heard heavy footsteps! She kissed Harry's forehead before teleporting away, leaving Harry at the wrath of Vernon Dursley...

Neo grimaced at the thought of what was going to happen to the sweet little boy that she had pretty much abandoned to his fate...Hopefully Roman would be willing to listen to her this time...

She marched right up to Torchwick and tapped his shoulder, angrily holding up the cue cards. "There's someone we need to take care of."

Roman tilted his head and asked, "Why who my hencwoman?"

"A child abuser" the next card read.

Roman rolled his eyes, "Neo, we don't do rescue ops."

Neo's cheeks puffed out in frustration, and she pulled the next cue card. "I saw a lot of valuable possessions in his home, and you know no one ever traces my thefts back to me..."

Roman scoffed, "Like what?"

Neo angrily scribbled, "Money, food, Jewelry and furniture."

Roman sighed, "If you want to go rob the place, take Mercury and Emerald with you."

Neo smirked and nodded, inwardly cheering. She pulled out another cue card. "I get dibs on the kid."

Roman stopped, "We can't have a kid running around here!"

Neo pouted and pulled out, "But what if me Cinder, Mercury and Neo watched him?"

Roman looked at her flatly. "Cinder, Mercury and Emerald are always off doing their own thing, you think they'd want to waste time watching some kid they don't know?" Neo glared and stomped her foot before pulling another card.

"I'm taking him in even if I have to leave to do it!" Roman stared at the card, then her, in surprise, then scowled.

"Fine! Just...keep him out of the way!"

Neo cheered, dashing off into the base to grab Emerald and Mercury. After running for a few moments she found their door. She rapped on it quickly and eagerly.

A groan was heard from the other side of the door, and Emerald threw it open. "Roman what do you-" She froze upon seeing Neo. "Oh... Hello Neo."

Neo pulled up a cue card that said, "Wanna rob a place?"

Emerald stared at the card and grinned. "Is Torchwick an asshat?!" Neo raised her hand to her mouth and giggled silently. Emerald turned back into the room, "Mercury! We're robbing a house c'mon!"

A moan was heard and a pajama clad Mercury appeared. "Fine..."

Emerald scoffed. "Don't be a baby! You've been asleep all day, it's time to get up and actually do something. Now come on, we got stuff to nab!"

Mercury disappeared into the back for a few minutes while Emerald changed and grabbed her weapons. Ten minutes later, they were both ready.

Neo hated waiting ten minutes for them. Every second they wasted was a second that poor boy was being abused and tortured...

"Alright N, let's go." Mercury told her,

Neo nodded, twirling her parasol, and the three found themselves outside a boring house.

"Are you serious?" Emerald asked, unimpressed.

Neo frowned at her and held up a cue card to signify that the house did indeed have valuable items in it. Emerald opened her mouth to say something, when a child's scream cut through the air.

"What was-"

Neo dashed up to the door and kicked it, it fell off its hinges, and she dashed inside. Mercury and Emerald followed, shocked at the sight.

They had seen the expression on Neo's face before she had sprung into action. She looked uncharacteristically serious, scared, and furious, all in one expression.

Neo heard the boisterous voice in the back, along with thumpings and shouts. Mercury and Emerald flanked the living room while Neo calmly walked in, horrified at the sight.

Oh God...The child...He was bleeding, bruised, crying...

Neo looked at the walrus man, who stood taller than her. The man opened his mouth to shout, but was cut off by a blade finding its way into his throat.

Mercury rushed in and looked around, grinning at Neo. Emerald did the same. "Okay, I have to say...These people have a pretty good haul." Mercury said with a smirk.

"...So this is why you wanted to come here so bad..." Emerald said, looking over at the beaten boy.

Neo nodded and scooped up the child, looking him over. She was... Less than pleased with his barely-alive situation. Mercury and Emerald cleared the place, grabbing money, toys from these two rooms, and a crack able safe.

Neo paid no attention. All of her attention was focused on the little boy. The sweet, innocent, adorable little boy who didn't deserve to live under such horrid circumstances...

Neo stamped her foot, attracting the thieves attention.

"Yeah we should get the kid help." Mercury agreed, dragging Emerald over to Neo who took them back to base.

The very second they were in the base, Neo made a mad dash for the medical room. She looked down at the child. He was barely clinging to consciousness, and didn't even seem to notice her, still sobbing softly.

Neo felt her heart break as the doctors took the child away. But she also felt happy. Happy that he was in safe hands...

Neo sat for about an hour, before the Doc came back out. Mercury and Emerald had joined her earlier.

"He appears to have a healing semblance. He's very lucky to be alive. We have results that... He's been in this situation for about two years. In fact, evidence may even support the theory that he's been suffering these injuries since he was two...His healing semblance is strong...but some scars never heal."

Neo teared up a bit, and Emerald cut her off before she could get out her cue card. "Can we see him?!"

To which the Doctor nodded. They all rushed in and looked at the little mummy on the bed.

"Holy crap..." Mercury mumbled.

"God..." Emerald agreed. "I thought he had a healing semblance."

The Doctor stated, "We need to keep him like this as a precaution. It's important to his recovery."

Neo had sat by his bed and was gently rubbing circles on the backs of his hands. Emerald and Mercury just watched.

"...Let's just...leave 'em be for a bit." Mercury whispered. Emerald nodded, understanding Neo would likely want to be alone with the child.

After they left, Harry began to show signs of awakening. His tiny, pudgy hands twitched, his heart monitor picked up and his eyes began to open. Neo eagerly waited...

His eyes opened, and he tried to sit up, only to whimper in pain and lie back down, tears in his eyes.

Neo leaned in and whispered in his ear, calming the boy quickly. She wiped his tears and leaned back.

Harry looked over, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the pretty woman with the multi-coloured hair and mismatched eyes from the garden earlier that day.

"M-miss Neo!" He gasped, grinning. Neo smiled, patting his head. He leaned into the touch, happy. "I...I thought I'd never see you again..." He sniffled. "I thought you left me alone, and you found out I was a freak and you hated me..." Neo shook her head, kissing the little ones hand, not able to hug him. She whispered in his ear again and Harry's eyes widened. "R-really?"

Neo closed her eyes and tilted her head with a grin, nodding to affirm that she did, in fact, wish to adopt him.

Harry began to bawl his little eyes out, Neo leapt forward and held his head in her neck and shushed him. She held him as close as she could with out hurting him, rubbing circles across the back of his head gently. Harry, after sobbing for an hour, finished. Neo leaned back and whispered something. "Yes... I'm ok.." He replied. Neo nodded approvingly and ruffled his hair. She sat down on the bed with him, and took him into her arms, cradling him like a baby and rocking him back and forth.

Harry snuggled closer to Neo, trying to get warmer, Neo helped, pulling him up to her heart. She leaned down and whispered something.

"F-friends?" Neo giggled silently and nodded her head, stroking Harry's cheek.

Neo left the room for a moment and got Emerald and Mercury, bringing them back in. Harry winced at seeing strangers...

Neo, seeing his pain, rubbed his head, calming him. Emerald and Mercury moved a safe distance and waved.

"Hi buddy... I'm Emerald."

"I'm Mercury."

Neo looked down at the silent child with a smile, and gave him an encouraging nudge. He looked at her, then the two newcomers. "H-Harry..." He said softly.

Emerald, the pretty one, grinned. It was infectious so Harry grinned. "Nice name" Mercury smiled, but still hid in Neo's arms. Neo sighed and gave him a sad smile, then turned to the other two occupants.

"Shy? Harry you don't need to worry. We're nice." Emerald said gently

"Yeah, you're cute, why wouldn't we." Mercury said.

Harry blushed and looked away. "M'not that cute..." He mumbled softly.

Emerald laughed, "Sure you are! You're like a little mummy." Harry giggled, the sound pleasing to Neo and the other two.

Neo whispered something into his ear again. He blushed. "Okay...I'll try to laugh again soon..." Neo smiled and went back to rocking him.

"You talk?!" The thieves said at the same time. Neo pouted and put a finger to her lips before pointing to the child, informing them she was trying to put him to sleep. Emerald and Mercury silenced, watching the interaction. Harry smiled as he leaned into Neo, and Neo kept whispering in his ear, making him smile.

"Y-You're really comfy..." Harry said softly. Indeed, Neo was incredibly warm, and he would go so far as to say her arms were more comfortable than the bed he had been in.

Neo leaned in close, kissing his forehead before telling him something . Harry nodded, rapidly losing consciousness before he passed out with the Comfy lady. Emerald cooed at the scene, gushing. Neo smirked, blushing ever so slightly, and took a very light bow, careful not to awaken Harry.

"So you're gonna adopt him?" Mercury asked, confused.

Neo smirked and nodded, cuddling with Harry a little more.

"So cuuuute..." Emerald gushed. Neo was now quite visibly blushing at Emerald's words. She let out a soft squeak upon noticing the blush and moved her face down to hide her blush behind the little boy.

Emerald laughed, enjoying the sight. Mercury even had to admit it was cute. Problem was though, the scene was interrupted by someone clearing their throat from the doorway. The voice that spoke next was Cyanide-Sweet and sultry.

"Just what is going on here?" Neo stiffened as Cinder Fall sauntered into the room with a frown.