15 Homecoming

"Sistema, what's going on?"

[Uh, nothing]

''Uh nothing' My balls. Spit it out now.'

[No, it'll be a spoiler]

'Spoiler? Just spill it, robot.'

[Well... This little one might have Leviathan ancestry]

"WHAT?"

Niko looked incredulously at the little creature in front of him, his shout catching Paul's attention as he leaned over the counter.

"Is everything all right, Niko?"

"Oh, nothing, Paul, just got splashed with a little water. Sorry for startling you."

Niko turned his gaze back to the little one, who was now looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"It's possible that you understand me?"

The little pink creature began nodding vigorously, leaving Niko astonished.

[It seems that his blood makes him more intelligent and he can reason to the point of being able to communicate]

Niko returned to Paul, and on the way back, the little Waverider followed him, staying by his side until they reached the edge of the pool, where it became sad that it couldn't go any further.

"Paul, could you tell me about one of them?"

"Of course, which one?"

They returned to the tank, and Paul was surprised to see the little one's interest in Niko.

"How did you make him so fond of you? It hasn't been a minute."

"I wonder the same... Could you tell me about him? ...Or her, I don't know."

"This one is male, Niko. You can tell by the shape; if his tail has an anchor shape, he's male, but if his head has that shape, it's female."

"Good to know."

"His story isn't very complicated. We found him alone, and being young, he couldn't get food on his own, so he seemed quite hungry. If there's something that sets him apart from the others, it's his beautiful bicolor and that... he eats m..."

"Can you repeat that?"

"He eats meat, Niko."

Niko looked ahead, and the adorable little creature with a silly appearance smiled at him, revealing huge, sharp teeth.

"How can something so adorable be so terrifying at the same time?"

"You know, when I found him, I wondered the same thing."

Approaching the glass, the marine creature pressed its head against it while closing its eyes. Niko imitated him, feeling a connection accompanied by a voice he had never heard before in the form of a small whisper.

~Please, take me with you, the gases you speak of don't affect me~

'...I'm Niko.'

~Great, I'm nameless~

'Oh... Now I have three voices in my head; I'll look like a lunatic.'

~For some reason, I feel offended~

Niko withdrew his head from the glass and began rubbing his temples.

"Is something wrong, Niko?"

"Just headaches, Paul. I think my life will be very hard when I grow up."

Paul placed a hand on Niko's head as he laughed.

"You're too young to say that, Niko."

With a snort, Niko stood up, thumbs pointing at the joking pink one.

"I'll take that one since it seems he can't live without me."

Paul looked at the bicolor Waverider, surprised to find it doing something akin to rolling its eyes.

"Before you worry, I can assure you that I'll create something so he can adapt to Zaun."

"...I've seen your skills Niko, in fact, you made the tank stand. I can trust those words if they're yours."

Niko gave Paul a smile and extended a hand to him.

"Thank you, Paul. To be honest, I forgot about the stand."

Responding to his outstretched hand, Paul reciprocated with another smile.

"It's a pleasure, Niko. Do you know his care conditions?"

"Clean water, quality vegetables, and lots of love?"

"You nailed it, kid."

Niko left the shop with the hood back on and a new companion leaning on his shoulder, similar to Pikachu but due to his size, occupying both shoulders, his body passing behind his head.

Due to this strange situation, the couple attracted the attention of the passersby in Piltover.

'So, can you only talk to me if you touch me or we're extremely close?'

~I had been trying for a few days but couldn't communicate with anyone, glad to have met you~

Niko turned his head, looking at the smiling little friend on his shoulder and raised his hand to stroke its chin, causing it to stretch on his shoulder with a growl.

~That feels great~

"I'm glad, cutie. But don't you want a name or something similar? Calling you by adjectives is a bit annoying."

~A name? I had seen some humans give one to those they take, but I don't like being considered a pet~

"Hmm, if you're worried about that, you don't need to think about it anymore. I need a companion to navigate the sea in the future, are you in?"

The bicolor creature stared at Niko intently, and they exchanged an intense gaze that to others was an adorable sight.

~I want to spend more time with you to decide~

"It's settled then, I'll call you Yako for now. Let's go get your vegetables."

{And my meat}

Letting out a sigh that confused Yako, he headed to the food area of the market and started buying until he had five bags of food which he magically made disappear inside his cloak when they reached an alley.

"My money..."

~How did you do that?~

'What? How? When?'

~Huh?~

'Huh?'

After a few seconds of pretending to be clueless, he headed towards the technical area of the market under Yako's narrowed gaze, who quickly fixed the situation by giving him some lettuces.

~This taste is making me forget everything, but I need a bit more to forget~

"I'm not going to-"

Yako grabbed his head with both paws as if he were dizzy.

~I START TO REMEMBER, AHHHH~

With a quick movement, Niko put his hand inside the cloak and covered Yako's mouth, giving him more lettuces.

'Shut up, you little manipulator... Oh god, now I understand Vi.'

~I learned it from Paul, needed lots of donations~

Niko wandered around the area, looking at some products and buying some books on something similar to chemistry.

"Studying again..."

After realizing he didn't have much money left, he decided to head back to Zaun while observing the vibrant streets of Piltover with Yako.

'Hey Yako, now that I think about it, don't you need water to survive? You have gills and all that.'

~Unlike my friends, I can last for a few hours without water since I only need to be in an aquatic environment for a few minutes to last again, although I don't know why~

Niko gave him a sideways glance, imagining it was because of his lineage.

'Then when we get there, I'll prioritize making you the equipment.'

Upon receiving a nod from Yako, he prioritized getting home as soon as possible and changed direction. Some minutes later, he finally stood in front of the elevator area, prepared to use the last remnants of his money to 'show his honesty' to the agents.

Just as he stood behind someone in line, a strange tingling sensation, not caused by Yako's body, arose on his neck. Stepping aside, he moved away, leaving a hand reaching towards him suspended in the air, and quickly glanced at the owner.

In front of him stood two men, both with black hair and looking very similar, but one appeared older than the other as he had some gray hair.

They both approached him with their arms crossed, and the elder one pointed to his shoulder with a friendly smile, while the other looked at Yako strangely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, young Niko. I'm John, and this is my brother Joel, both from the Kiramman House. We would like you to accompany us to meet the heads of the house."

Niko stared at them intently and realized murmurs had started to spread around them. With a hand over his chest, he bowed slightly.

"I regret to inform you that I have urgent matters to attend to, although I wouldn't want your time to be wasted, so if you'd like, we can schedule a meeting for another day."

John made a slight grimace, but upon hearing Niko's interest in communicating with their superiors, he released a polite smile, as they had been instructed to treat him respectfully.

"That would be great. How about here in two days at noon?"

"That... that would be perfect, Mr. John. I'm excited about the prospect of someone of Kiramman's caliber having an interest in contacting me."

They smiled, shaking hands, and Niko turned with the intention of returning to The Last Drop, but a voice filled with disdain stopped him.

"Kid, who do you think you are to waste my bosses' time? If you leave, you'll have to leave the critter on your shoulder behind. It will make a nice gift for Miss Caitlyn."

John stopped his brother somewhat belatedly, so he slipped out of his grasp.

"JOEL, shut up!"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

Niko continued on his way without turning around, but Yako's squeal halted his steps.

"Don't ignore me, you Zaunite piece of crap."

As he turned, the last bit of patience in Niko snapped, and before him, he found an arm harshly gripping Yako's neck, prompting him to smoothly slide his hand towards Joel's wrist.

*CRACK*

None of those present in the area could react when they found the same boy a little further away, but with his pet back in his arms, and the man who had taken him staring at his horribly twisted hand.

"A-A-AHHHHHHH-"

Yako, who had kept his eyes closed since being grabbed, felt himself enveloped in a warm embrace and clung to the person holding him as a thought echoed in his head.

'Control yourself.'

In response to the familiar voice, he opened his eyes to find that the screams that had plagued the surroundings were silenced by a loud sound caused by Niko's slow and dry punch to the man's solar plexus.

Due to the force of the impact, the man lowered his head, and Joel's pupils dilated as he stared into nothingness, falling to his knees with his mouth open and tears streaming from his eyes.

John couldn't react throughout this exchange, and upon seeing Niko turn again, he snapped out of his trance and quickly went to assist his brother.

"Joel, Joel! JO-"

"Consider the meeting canceled and never contact me again."

Niko resumed his steps, carrying Yako in his arms, and upon reaching the agents, he saw fear in their eyes. Ignoring them, he held the small creature in his left arm and reached into his tunic with his right, causing the agents to go on guard.

With a sigh, he took out his remaining money and lowered his hood slightly, revealing a small, radiant smile that to those facing him seemed terrifying after witnessing what the boy had just done.

"My honesty, agents, I hope it weighs heavily enough."

After leaving the money on the ground, he headed to the elevators, with Yako looking at him in admiration.

"If you don't close your mouth, flies will get in... Although I'm not sure if that's good or bad, considering you're a carnivore."

Standing there while waiting for the elevator, Niko looked up, deep in thought, earning a chuckle from Yako.

____________________________

Half an hour later, in front of The Last Drop, Niko was somewhat excited with his new friend on his shoulder.

'I'm going to introduce you to... My family?'

~You seem confused, should I feel confused?~

'No! It's just... *sigh* I feel confused about them.'

~Can I ask why?~

'I never thought I'd be candid with a fish.'

~HEY!~

Yako began lightly tapping Niko's shoulder with his tail, causing laughter from the latter.

'It's just that I don't consider myself part of them... I feel like an outsider.'

~...Human, I'm only three months old but I can assure you that the best thing you can do is something Paul taught me, think things backwards: What do they consider you?~

'Wow, that's deep bro.'

~Yes, I got deep, bro.~

'...Don't say that again.'

Niko stared at the door, imagining the faces of those waiting for him behind it, remembering how they greeted him, treating him like one of them, and the familiarity that had grown among them in such a short time.

'I like them, and I think they like me. That's enough for me.'

{You're an idiot for getting nervous about these things. Those kids adore you, especially me, Vastaya Form rules, baby}

'Sure... but you're right. Not about them loving you more, those guys adore me.'

Niko glanced at Yako, feeling somewhat puzzled as he hadn't asked anything.

~Hitting that idiot felt like eating a thousand lettuces. So don't worry, I won't bother you~

'Thank you, buddy'

With a sigh, he prepared to open the tavern door when a cough sounded behind him, making him turn around to find three people standing there.

"Kid, are you going in or what? We've been watching you gesture at a door for a while now."

"Yes! HAHA, sorry!"

Mortified, he hurriedly entered, his face flushed, eliciting laughter from the three men outside the tavern. Inside, he found nine out of the ten stools occupied, with Vander behind the bar, in this order:

 | Vander |

_____________________________________________________________________________

| Benzo | Ekko | Ezreal | Zeri | | Mylo | Claggor | Vi | Powder | Sevika |

With Niko's arrival, the bar fell silent, and all eyes turned to him and the creature on his shoulder.

Ignoring the stares, Niko looked at those near the bar and approached them, lowering his hood to reveal a wide grin.

"What's up, fam! I'm back from my heroic journey to the depths of... What's wrong?"

Zeri and Powder let out a small squeal upon seeing the adorable creature, but strangely, they didn't move from their spots.

Ezreal began exchanging glances with Ekko, as if they were helping each other avoid jumping at Niko.

Benzo and Sevika seemed prepared to witness something exciting, although the latter appeared somewhat worried about her boss.

Vi, along with Mylo, Claggor, and literally everyone else in the tavern, seemed to be alternating their gazes between Vander and Niko.

After a few seconds of silence, which made Niko quite nervous, Vander finally spoke up.

"Niko."

"Yes?"

Vander set down the jug he was cleaning and stared intently.

"I would call it a rumor, but to do so would belittle the magnitude of what has happened."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes, kid. A certain rumor, hooded Zaunite boy leaves a member of the Kiramman family crying after breaking their wrist and solar plexus. I won't even ask what the hell you were thinking... What am I saying... WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, NIKO?!"

Niko glanced at the 'audience' who were watching from the side, but Sevika jumped in.

"Boss, everyone knows you're the one who broke that wrist, so they see you as second in command, well, except for Vander, he's pretty mad."

"I can see that, Sevika, thank you very much."

"Leave it to me, boss."

"..."

Niko raised his gaze, looking at all the bar patrons, surprised to find that everyone returning his gaze did so with a confident nod. In no time, he returned his gaze to Vander.

"I'll be honest, I was called disgusting Zaunite and I have anger issues."

Powder raised her hand and then pointed with the same hand.

"Objection! If that were true, you would've beaten up Vi- OUCH! See?!"

Powder held her head after getting a hit from Vi and fell silent, prompting Vander to speak up.

"Niko, those who spread the news said it was because you hurt your pet."

"I was careless, Vander. If it's necessary to turn me in, do it. You know I can handle a few years in jail."

Sevika widened her eyes as she clenched her fists, the same reaction the kids surprisingly had, even Zeri, which left Niko puzzled. However, Vander intervened instantly.

"I'd like to refuse... but I can see you're capable. *sigh* Niko, you won't go to jail. Rather, for some strange reason, they seem reluctant to create a bigger uproar."

"How do you know that?"

Benzo smirked and playfully elbowed Vander.

"He has a contact, hehe."

"Oh, Grayson?"

"...How do you know?"

Niko blinked for a moment, then began to gesture to try to change the subject.

"Uh, oh, umm, you know I patented a hundred and one inventions today?"

{WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?}

"I GOT NERVOUS, I'M NOT USED TO BEING IN FRONT OF SO MANY PEOPLE."

{LITERALLY, YOU ANNOUNCED THE FORGE THE DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY IN FRONT OF A CROWD, AND YOU JUST SHOUTED IT OUT LOUD}

Niko looked around again and saw that everyone who had previously given him a confident look was now suppressing a laugh when he heard a voice in the crowd.

"Jack, are you sure it was him? You were there."

"When he was about to leave, he lifted his hood, and we saw his face, it was him."

Upon hearing this, Vander shot Niko a death glare, and Niko continued the chain, giving Jack a death glare.

"Vander, I just want to make sure. Are you sure you won't do something stupid like turn yourself in for me?"

Vander's facade trembled slightly, sending Niko a deadly serious look.

"...How do you know that?"

Niko's face turned cold, and the atmosphere matched his expression, conveying overwhelming tension that sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

"I'll make it clear, Vander, if you turn yourself in, I'll destroy more than just a wrist."

Benzo quickly lifted his tankard, taking a sip before letting out a shout.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Niko. You won't have to start a war because nothing like that is happening." 

"Then, why did he say so seriously: '...How do you know that?'?"

"The idiot only says that because if the situation arose where any of you were captured, he would prefer to surrender himself rather than hand you over. That's what a leader does."

Niko looked at Vander and noticed him coughing to the side, somewhat embarrassed.

"You look like a shy bear, Vander."

"Shut up, kid, you talk a lot about breaking things, but going to war doesn't bring anything good..."

Vander's gaze turned melancholic, like many in the tavern, but Niko interrupted his moment of sadness.

"I'm not a barbarian. If I'm going to beat them, I'll beat them..."

"...at their own game." Sevika finished Niko's sentence, receiving a smile from him. 

"I'm not lying about the patents, I'm going to revolutionize this place... Well, time for cleanup."

"What do you mea-"

Surprising everyone, Niko tossed Yako into the air and performed a sideways jump, hitting two men sitting at a table with both legs before catching Yako at the end.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

Powder let out a scream, causing Vander to react by sending two of his men to restrain the ones Niko had just hit.

"What the hell, Niko!"

"They've been giving me hostile looks since I walked in, plus they're carrying knives." Vander looked near the men and saw small daggers at their sides.

"My first assassination attempt, how thrilling!"

Ezreal looked between Powder and Niko, whispering accompanied by a laugh. 

"They're two peas in a pod."

"You can say that again, haha. I don't like peas."

Vander gestured for the two men knocked out on the floor to be taken away, but Niko stopped them.

"I need to make sure everyone here won't spread what I just said."

Ekko raised a hand, asking the perfect question.

"How will you do that?"

"Good question, bro."

Niko lifted two fingers with a pleasant and happy smile.

"There are two ways. The first, the friendly way, I ask you kindly, and I trust Vander to ensure that none of you spill."

Niko lowered one finger, and his expression remained unchanged, but the previous friendliness vanished, leaving only a strange discomfort among the tavern's patrons.

"I'm a proponent of the expression: rule with the face of an angel and an iron hand. If you mess with me, I'll mess with you harder. Let's get along, shall we?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present nodded, and the discomfort dissipated, with cheerful Niko returning.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go introduce my new friend to my new family."

Vi, who was heading towards the stairs to go downstairs, Powder, who was approaching Yako, Claggor, who was eating nuts, Mylo, who was about to search for his Z's, and Vander, who had returned to clean the jugs, all stopped.

The five of them turned their heads towards Niko while Ekko voiced aloud what everyone was thinking.

"Hey guys, now that I think about it, hasn't Niko been saying that you're his family since he came in?"

================

Well, that's all haha.

Btw, Yako comes from Yakor, anchor in Russian. I know, I'm brilliant!