As I had suspected, Tami and I had found Amy standing outside the airport. Sweat coated her forehead as she breathed heavily. Upon seeing Tami, she threw her arms around her, clearly not seeing how uncomfortable Tami was.

Sure, I had given Tami plenty of hugs before, held her hands a few times, and things like that, but that didn't mean Tami was always comfortable with everyone doing that to her. It just took her a bit to warm up. Sometimes, it made me feel bad that I wanted to hold her hand or touch her in some way, which was why I tried not to do it often. There was a reason Tami wasn't comfortable with that, and I had to respect it.

Everyone should have.

Looking down at them, I realized how different this Amy looked. She had long blue hair just like the picture, but she didn't really look much like Tami at all. This girl wore a blue sun dress, exposing all of the freckles that sprinkled all over her body. I had always thought Tami's skin was light, but this girl had skin as white as paper.

It shocked me that these two were somehow related. They were different in both the way that they looked and the way that they acted.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked as she pulled away from Tami. Her hands were placed on Tami's shoulders as the blue haired girl looked up and down her body, almost as if she was checking for any injuries. "I heard what happened on the radio. Apparently, some guy was posting it live on his podcast, and gosh! I heard about the glass breaking. You didn't get hit with any of it, did you?"

Tami shook her head firmly. "I'm fine," she said in a softer voice than usual, taking me off guard. "Really. I'm just happy no one got real hurt."

I wished I was standing in front of Tami to see her reaction, but the only face I could see was her cousin. She pressed her lips together as she concentrated her green eyes on Tami for a moment.

"You sure? I mean, that was some pretty scary stuff on the radio, I could feel my blood pressure rising. I couldn't imagine what it was like actually being there. A villain coming out of nowhere, a civilian risking his own life to distract him until help came, and—"

"A-actually," Tami quietly interrupted, "Raiden wasn't a civilian. He's a Pro Hero too."

Upon hearing that, the girl shot her head up to meet me in the eyes. Her face was full of shock when our eyes met. I would've waved or stuck out my hand to be polite, but I had all of Tami and my luggage in my arms. After what happened, and seeing how there was a nurse who drew some of Tami's blood, carrying one of her suitcases was the last thing she needed.

Luckily for her, I was strong enough to carry her backpack and suitcase on top of my own.

"Y-you're Raiden Yamamoto?" the girl asked. "Like, the same guy who's dating my cousin?"

I nodded my head, not really understanding why she was in shock.

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked.

The moment those words escaped my mouth, Amy's cheeks started to grow red, finally adding a bit of color to them. She took her hands off of Tami's shoulders as she turned her head to the side, scratching her cheek with one finger.

While I didn't understand the sudden change, I was happy that she finally let Tami go. My girlfriend took a few steps back the moment she was free and started rubbing her right shoulder with her left hand. Seeing it, I realized Amy must have had a bit of a tight grip on her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry any of those," Tami asked.

I shook my head. "I'm fine, don't worry. You need to take it easy."

"Oh my gosh! You two are so cute," I heard Amy whisper under her breath. I snapped my head towards her. When she realized I heard her, she covered it up with a cough. "We should head to the car, so you're not carrying those for too long."

I shrugged. Really, the weight of the bags wasn't getting to me. If they did, I could always use my Quirk to help out, but it was much lighter than what I'd have to lift on a daily basis for training. For anyone else, sure, it probably was a lot, but my Quirk relied on strength. If I couldn't lift all of our luggage, then I would have been a very pathetic hero.

The only time I let Tami and her cousin even touch their luggage was when we got to Amy's car, or what I assumed was a car as the back of it was covered in bumper stickers. There were stickers of anime characters, delicate flowers, fluffy animals, and even a couple patriotic ones. At least, I think they were being that they had the American flag with someone's name on it.

"Raiden," Amy started.

"Oh, Amy," Tami interrupted as she laid her backpack in the trunk, making it the last thing we had to put in. As she talked, I shut the trunk shut. "He...people in Japan, they refer to people by their last name, so it's Yamamoto."

Her older cousin raised an eyebrow before looking up at me. "You don't look Japanese. Doesn't everyone from Japan have—"

"Amy!" Tami shouted before looking back at me. Her face was tinged with embarrassment, but she forced her hands to stay by her side. That didn't help her fingers from clenching into fists, doing everything they could to keep her calm. "I'm sorry, Raiden, I—"

I shook my head, looking over at Amy. "Part Japanese, part Mexican, and no, you're wrong and rude when you say things like that."

Now I understood why Tami was scared the moment we got off the plane. She might not have remembered what her cousin was like, but this was probably the worst case scenario for her for it to happen. I could tell when I noticed my girlfriend dropping her head and pushing her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants. It took everything inside of me not to keep going off on her cousin, but seeing how uncomfortable Tami was getting, I stopped.

Besides, it was at that moment I realized I would be living with Amy and her family until I could find an apartment to live in. Tami would be there until she started college and would move into the dorms. I didn't want to make things hard on her by ruining my relationship with them.

Before Amy could respond, I turned around and hopped into the back seat of her car. Tami quickly followed suit, sitting beside me. Her hands fumbled for her seatbelt as she refused to make eye contact with me. As much as I wanted to help her out, I just glanced out the window, wondering just how far Amy lived. My foot started tapping on the ground as my hand reached into my back pocket, relieved to find that stress ball inside. After that fight at the airport, I didn't think it'd last. Somehow, it seemed more intact than the one my siblings had passed down to me.

Something brushed against my wrist, causing my head to snap over. While her eyes weren't exactly looking my way, she seemed to have all her attention on me as her fingers brushed up against mine. Glancing down at them, I could tell she was being hesitant, almost as if she was getting a bit uncomfortable, yet, there she was, doing what she could to help me, even if it made her uncomfortable. After what she went through, Tami probably wanted nothing more than to lock herself into a room and curl up into a ball.

I wanted my nerves to stop at that moment, but my leg continued to bounce up and down. Sweat poured on the sides of my face as I heard the door slam in front of me. I tore my head away from Tami to see Amy climbing into the driver's seat, buckling her seatbelt.

"So, what exactly happened?" Amy asked as turned her head to glance at Tami and me. As she did, she started to back up the car, starting our drive out of the airport. "I mean, there's only so much I can get out of a live podcast here. Did they catch the villain? Did the Optimo Agency finish things off?"

The girl continued to bombard us with questions much faster than I could understand. I glanced over at Tami, who just shook her head in amusement. She seemed to have understood what her cousin was saying, but I wasn't following at all.

While she listened, I carefully intertwined my fingers with Tami's. They were so small that my hand seemed to have engulfed hers. Yet, the moment my hand wrapped around hers, she gave it a gentle squeeze.

The moment Amy stopped asking questions, Tami drew in a deep breath and started answering all of them, recalling all the events that had happened. I stared at her, watching as she steadied her eyes towards her cousin. Her words were much more careful than what we were hearing from Amy, almost as if she knew I was having trouble understanding everything that was being said before.

Getting used to people speaking in English 24/7 was going to be a challenge. I knew I should have known everything Tami and her cousin were saying, but I just couldn't follow. While I would have tried to follow along with what they were saying, I felt my phone going off in my pocket. My left hand quickly exchanged it with the stress ball I was holding.

Kaito
Made it to the states yet

I slid my finger across the screen and quickly typed in my password. The characters on the screen were much more welcoming than the strange alphabet that I had to learn and familiarize myself with while I was here in America.

Raiden
Yeah. Isn't it late there?

Kaito
Its only 3 am. I was up playing video games anyways. Think Sakura will be waking up in the next few hours for work. Sure Tami will be happy to hear that.

Sakura? I glanced over at Tami, who must have ended her conversation with her cousin as she was staring out the window, glancing at all the buildings we had passed by. Part of me wanted to ask if she knew what was going on when her cousin decided to try to make conversation with me.

"So, Raiden," she started. "Can you say my name in Japanese?"

Her name in Japanese? What the hell? I glanced over at Tami to make sure I heard her right, but the blonde must have slipped some headphones on to block her out. My hand squeezed hers, hoping to catch her attention for a moment, but she didn't seem to notice.

She did go through a lot once we got off that plane, I thought to myself. Sweat started to slide out of my hand, coating hers as it did. Again, she didn't seem to notice as she just sat there. I'm not going to bother her. I'll just handle it.

Taking a deep breath, I just shook my head. "It doesn't work like that."

"Of course it does! I took Spanish! We each had our own names our teacher gave us. My Spanish name is Amaya," she claimed.

Spanish name? Damn, what kind of stupid shit are they teaching in schools here? I thought to myself.

"Your name would still be Amy," I told her. "Japanese, English, Spanish, doesn't matter. Your teacher knows nothing."

The review mirror, I could see the girl pouting as she turned the wheel. "I don't think you are understanding a word I say. I know Tami's name is just the same, but I know my name can't be a Japanese name, so what is it?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're dumb."

Those two words were enough to snap Tami out of her daze. She turned her head, showing off her wide brown eyes as her face paled. Her free hand yanked the headphones from her ears.

"I'm not dumb!" Amy exclaimed. "You're just not understanding me. Tami! Maybe you can tell me. What's my Japanese name?"

My girlfriend's face paled as her eyes widened at the question. Whatever she was listening to earlier, I was certain she wanted to go back to it.

"I...think Raiden's right on this," Tami explained. "Oliver is still called Oliver at school. I mean, what would Raiden's name be if you were to give him an American name?"

Her response took me by surprise. She didn't seem to hesitate in her answer, but the way her fingers pressed into mine, I knew that wasn't the case. Deep down, Tami had to have been somewhat afraid of the repercussions that would come.

Yet, despite her fear, she was still standing up for me. My hand squeezed hers as a silent way to show her I was proud of her for helping me out, despite what could've happened. I don't think she understood as she bit her bottom lip, almost unsure if she did the right thing or not. She did, but how could I tell her that?

"Fine," Amy huffed in annoyance. "But what do you think people would call me‽"

At that moment, I knew this was going to be the longest car ride ever.

✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧

The moment Amy pulled into the driveway, I pushed myself out of the car. Never again did I want to go back into that thing.

More importantly, I didn't want to be trapped in the same area as Tami's cousin ever again. That wasn't going to happen. We were going to be living with her, but that didn't mean I was going to enjoy it.

It was stupid question after stupid question from her. Did we wear kimonos all the time? Could I say a word to her in Japanese? Have I ever had a cheeseburger or ate something other than sushi?

That wasn't even half of the questions.

"So, what are you guys thinking about for supper?" Amy jumped out of her car, getting as close to me as she could without making it seem too awkward. I tried not to let it bother me as I turned around and started walking back to the trunk to get Tami and my stuff out of there. "Maybe we can go to the Chinese place down the street and get take out. They even have these amazing spring rolls! It's authentic too, so I bet it'll taste like home!"

When was this girl going to shut up? I just rolled my eyes in response, not wanting to deal with her stupid shit anymore. It was no wonder Tami never taught me any swear words. If she did, I would have gone off on Amy a while ago. True, I could've just said it in Japanese, but she wouldn't know what I said.

It was probably best that way, but Tami would know. Seeing how she pulled a blanket out of the trunk and hugged it close to her, I knew she wasn't doing well. If I were to go off, things would just be worse. She was the reason I had to bite my tongue as I grabbed the bags.

"Amy, we come from Japan, not China," Tami reminded her cousin as she closed the trunk. I turned around to see her cousin holding out an arm, offering to carry some, but I just shook my head. It wasn't that she couldn't carry them, but I could handle it.

Besides, who knew how long it'd be for me to go off on her.

"It's all Asian, right? So it's all the same thing," Amy tried.

My eyes squeezed shut at her claim. To think Kaito was annoying, this girl took the cake. That thirty minute car ride felt like hours. I couldn't imagine what it would be like living with them for even a night. Just another reason why I needed to find an apartment soon, especially since my head started to pound.

"Anywhere we can get dino nuggets?" I asked.

Tami's cousin's eyes widened at that moment as we were met with an unexpected silence; something I didn't think this girl was capable of doing. She leaned to the side, almost to catch a glimpse of her cousin, but I could feel her standing directly behind me as her pillow brushed against my back.

I carefully adjusted the bags in my arms. As I did, Amy shook her head, turned around, and quickly led us to the front door. Looking at it, it was a nice home. Small, with only a little bit sticking out from where the garage door was at, but it gave the house character that way. Gray paint covered the wooden slabs of wood that built the wall, with dark curtains on the other side of the window to prevent anyone from seeing inside. I glanced down to see a brown mat that had the word "welcome" written on it.

If only the welcoming atmosphere that the house was surrounded with carried over to the people living there.

The blue-haired girl opened the front door, not holding it for Tami or me as she plowed through. My eyes widened in shock as she didn't even take the time to slide her shoes off. If it was the mall, school, or anything like that, I wouldn't have been so surprised, but this was her home. Didn't she want to keep the floors clean?

"You can go in," Tami's small voice broke me from my shock.

I shook my head, noticing she was standing there, holding the door for me. Even if her cousin was going to be disrespectful in her own home, I wasn't as I took a few moments to slide my shoes off. Tami followed suit, grabbing one of her bags from my arms. While I wanted to be the one to help her, I didn't fight her. Instead, I just simply followed her into the place, keeping my voice low out of respect.

"Do you know your way around?" I whispered.

My girlfriend shook her head, but she didn't look at me when she did. She just kept her down...I didn't know what else to do but followed, only to see that she wasn't moving. Her arms wrapped around the pillow as she stood there in the small hallway we had to walk through before getting into any of the rooms.

"I'm sorry about Amy," she apologized.

"Why? You didn't know," I offered.

Tami just shook her head, refusing to look at me. "But you keep arguing with her."

"What else am I supposed to do? Listen to her talk to us the way that she does?" I questioned.

Hearing my words, Tami winced. "I just...don't want either of you to fight."

"We're not fighting!" I argued. "I'm just correcting her on what's—"

"Is everything alright?" a voice questioned, snapping both Tami and me out of the argument neither of us truly wanted to be in, but what else were we to do? I wasn't going to take anyone's shit like that, regardless of who they were.

How was Tami not annoyed with her? I understood they were family, but even she knew that family meant nothing. What mattered was how people treated others, and her cousin wasn't respecting either of us. She'd just argue and insist that she was right.

"Yes," Tami quietly said, before releasing a yawn. "I think I'm just tired."

I glanced down at her once more, noticing the way she held the blanket in her arms. Every part of me wanted to argue that she wasn't just tired. She was just making the excuse to get away from this. Looking at her, I could see her fingers picking at some scab that popped out of her skin. Her eyes refused to meet anyone at that moment. 

Maybe it was best if she just turned in early.

"I can show you to your rooms!" Amy offered, before looking at me. "No worries, yours will be right next to Tami's in case you ever need anything."

Had Tami not said anything before, I would've torn that girl apart that very moment. Instead, I just settled for a low growl, glaring at her as I did. It was enough to get my message across as her cousin glanced over at Tami and swallowed.

That was all it took for Tami to quickly walk towards her cousin and away from me. As much as I wanted to follow, I had a gut feeling that was the last thing Tami wanted. All I could do was stand there, hoping there was some way I could make up for whatever it was that I did..

Author's Note:

Oh boi...this could be trouble 😅 but it had to be done to prep for many more chapters to come. Before we get to the chapter question, I am giving y'all a heads up that if it's possible, I will upload the next chapter ASAP (simply cuz...reasons...), though if it takes longer, it takes longer. Even though it's the middle of the arc, after chapter 9 hits, we will be reaching a short hiatus, so I can finish it.

In the meantime, it seems like Amy has a lot of misconceptions about what life in Japan is like while Raiden is starting to deal with some culture shocks for the first time. For this week's question, I want to know what is one culture shock you are still amazed or astonished by? The other week, I learned that many major countries, such as Spain, Italy, France, and Japan don't really eat peanut butter that much, so it's a hard thing to find. It's crazy to think about, but even more so when some of these places, like Japan, has something called peanut whip/cream that doesn't taste like peanut butter at all.

Makes me wonder if those countries thinks other countries are strange for eating peanut butter as much as we do, or what kind of things they find crazy and weird about America.

That's all for now! I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful week!

Character Spotlight: Amy
Quirk: None
Likes: Changing her hair

Song: abcdefu instrumental (cuz lets be real, that's what Raiden is thinking this entire chapter).