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"Hey, Kotaro? What are you doing?"
Kotaro was startled when he heard Spada's voice. He had been standing at the fridge, but he shut it, turning around quickly.
Spada hadn't known what he was expecting. He was kind of surprised when he was asked to check on Kotaro, even more surprised with who had even asked him. Apparently, Kotaro had been sneaking around a lot lately, mostly after lights out. He was always quiet, never bothered anyone, but was always looking like he was in some sort of a rush, and somebody had seemed worried about him.
"You're still hungry?" Spada asked. "We just finished dinner."
"I'm sorry," Kotaro said softly. "I didn't... I mean, I ate everything, but-"
"Kotaro, it's ok," Spada said. "Is this where you go when you sneak out after lights out? To get more food?"
Kotaro's eyes widened. "How did you know that?"
"The spy."
Kotaro froze for a moment. "I'm really sorry. I'm just still hungry."
Spada smiled and walked over to the fridge. "Why didn't you tell me you were still hungry? I could have given you seconds."
"Oh," Kotaro said. "I... I don't want… to cause any trouble."
"Nonsense!" Spada said. He opened the fridge. "If you're hungry, you need to eat." He grinned. "You must be hitting a growth spurt."
"I don't know," Kotaro said.
"Mi dispiace," Spada said. "I should have noticed and put more food on your plate."
"I'm sorry," Kotaro said.
"Why are you sorry?" Spada asked. He pulled some bread and meat out of the fridge and placed it on the counter. "You're growing, and you need to eat. I should have noticed this sooner."
"You don't go all out for everyone else."
"What do you mean? I'm not going all out. You just need more food on your plate."
"You don't make extra food for everyone else."
Spada grinned as he started to slice up the meat. "I make sure everyone is eating the way they should."
"Huh?"
Spada went back to the fridge and pulled out some cheese and vegetables, then walked back over to the counter. "See, everyone here is different. I have to make sure I'm feeding them the way that I should be."
"We are all different," Kotaro realized.
"Right!" Spada said, cutting up a tomato. "Take Stinger, for example. His body is venomous, and in order to create the right amount of poison, his body needs more protein. So I feed him a lot of meat. And Naga's body doesn't do so well with all of that protein, so he'll get extra fruits and vegetables, and the protein he does get can't be overly seasoned. His body isn't used to it because his species doesn't eat for pleasure, only nutrition, and it'll make him sick. Found that out once the hard way." He chuckled. "Promise me you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."
"I promise!" Kotaro said with a grin.
"Tsurugi has a sweet tooth like you wouldn't believe," Spada said, chuckling. "He works out a lot, so sometimes I'll pass him along some extra dessert. Anything chocolate is his favorite."
Kotaro giggled.
"So if you need more food, all you have to do is say it," Spada said. He picked up the vegetables and meat and put them in the fridge. He pulled out some condiments. "You look a little taller to me."
"I do?"
"Yes!" Spada said. He grabbed a plate from the cupboard, and walked back over to the counter, and started to assemble a sandwich. "You know, I have eight younger brothers and sisters. I was able to watch them grow. Actually, my youngest sibling... my baby brother is right around your age."
"Really? Maybe I can meet him one day."
"That would be fun." Spada quickly finished preparing Kotaro's sandwich. He cut the sandwich in half and put it down on the plate, and handed it to him. "Kotaro, I know you're closer to Stinger, but if you need anything, feel free to ask. Like I said, I have a lot of siblings. I might be able to help you."
"Thanks, Spada!" Kotaro said. He took a bite of his sandwich. "It's good!"
"Grazie!" Spada cried out. He smiled.
Spada watched Kotaro eat for a moment, and then quickly got the kitchen cleaned back up, making sure to instruct Kotaro to clean his own dish before he headed out. Kotaro agreed, and Spada walked out of the kitchen.
"Hey."
Spada looked up, and Stinger was standing there.
"You figure out what was going on with Kotaro?" Stinger asked.
"He's hungry."
"Hungry?" Stinger asked.
"Seems like he's been sneaking out for food," Spada said. "I'm going to make sure to put extra food on his plate from now on. He’s starting to grow pretty fast."
"Is he eating now?" Stinger asked.
Spada nodded. "Yes. I made him a sandwich."
"So do you think that's really what's been bothering him lately? Not enough food?"
"Seems like he's growing. He also seems embarrassed to be asking for more food. I guess he just didn't feel well."
"But he'll be fine now, right?"
"Yeah, I'll just start adding more food to his plate," Spada said. "It's easier than him having to sneak food all of the time."
"So you think he was just too embarrassed to ask?"
"Maybe, but he doesn't need to be."
"Well, thanks again for checking on him."
Spada smiled and nodded. He started to walk away, but Stinger had one more question for him.
"Do you miss your siblings?"
Spada froze for a moment before he turned back around. "Of course I do," he said after a moment.
"Is that why you agreed to help me with Kotaro just now?"
Spada sighed. "I really like Kotaro. But he really does remind me of my youngest brother. Sometimes, when I look at him, it reminds me of times with Spataro and I miss him even more. Even their names are similar."
"You know, if this is too much, you don't have to-"
"No, it's ok," Spada said. "I definitely don't mind helping. I just miss my family."
Stinger nodded. "I really appreciate you helping. He just wouldn't tell me what was wrong, and then when I saw what he was doing…."
"You don't have a little brother," Spada said. "I understand completely."
"I want Kotaro to be comfortable here," Stinger said. "And with me. Us. All of us."
"He will be," Spada said. "He just needs to eat. Can't concentrate if you're hungry!"
Stinger managed a smile. "How are you always so positive and upbeat, despite everything going on with you?"
"I guess because I just enjoy taking care of everyone. And now that I know why Kotaro's been cranky lately, it's easy to fix. I just need to put more food on his plate."
"What if that's not why he's been cranky?"
Spada smiled. "Then I guess we just need to figure out how to get him to open up."
Stinger nodded. At this point, he wasn't used to being the big brother, and Spada knew this was going to be a learning process. Not just for Stinger, but for most of the Kyurangers. They hadn't been around kids a whole lot, and they may not have realized that Kotaro getting cranky could be a sign of a few different types of issues. And Spada knew they were issues. Kotaro was a good person, very full of life, amazing dreams. He wanted to be there.
"Well, thanks again," Stinger said. "Good night, Spada."
"Buona notte," Spada said as Stinger left the room.
As Spada slowly walked back to his quarters, he found himself lost in thought.
He really did miss his siblings, and the rest of his family. He had managed to keep in touch a bit. His family knew what he was doing, and, though his parents didn't approve at first, they had come around eventually. The entire family was proud.
And out of all his siblings, Spataro was the youngest, and the one who looked up to him the most. He had been teaching him how to cook when Jark Matter had overtaken their planet. He hoped that somehow, during all of this hardship and chaos, his family was able to find some sort of peace, and maybe even stay hopeful knowing there were people working so hard to get that peace back in order.
He missed them. He had a job to do, but someday, everything was going to be all right again.
He and the rest of the Kyurangers would risk their lives to make sure of that.