Chapter Text
It was the middle of the night and the moon was shining upon a cramped, peaceful street. The darkness felt less intimidating than usual and in it walked a boy. He was small, his body covered in bruises and his clothes torn up and bloody. He’s been hugging his sides for hours now, trying to suppress the need to vomit as he kept thinking on and on about the events that have happened just a few hours earlier. His skin was completely pale, his hair white as the moon up on the sky, with only a few dark streaks left. The skin under his eyes kept itching terribly and he kept picking on it, scratching it until there was blood under his nails, though he could not tell if it was even his or…
The boy was on the run, he didn’t quite know what he was running away from. Fear was swelling in his chest, taking his breath away and squeezing tears from his irritated and puffy eyes.
Mom, Hana.. Grandma and Grandpa… Dad… they’re all dead… S-some terrible villain attacked our house and now…
The pain did not want to go away. The boy kept on walking on the sidewalk, avoiding the spots of light illuminated by the street lights, as if they could hurt him. His throat was sore as he kept angrily wiping his tears away, quietly hiccupping, but still walking nevertheless. A mix of confusion, sadness and fear took over his body as he wept, completely alone on a dark, dirty street at a chilly summer night.
Then why.. why me… why am I running…?
Millions of questions were filling his head, all of them painful, all of them carrying the sad truth that he had no one he could ask those questions and get a clear answer. Despite everything, the boy kept walking. In the moonlit street, his white hair shone among the darkness.
A few days have passed since the remains of the Shimura family members have been found. Or at least what was left of them. In all the chaos and destruction, the police officers were sure of one thing – there was a sole survivor and his name was Shimura Tenko. The boy however, was nowhere to be found. You’d think that in a city this big someone, at least one person, must’ve seen him, but no. He seemed to have vanished completely. No one could find this scared and surely starving child.
People have mentioned a similar child wandering around, when questioned. The only thing that didn’t match with his appearance was his hair, described as snow white. The detectives pressed more and eventually started rediscovering the child’s movements. He was moving slowly, but steadyly. It was really surprising to realize, that in streets full of people, no one extended a hand to this lost, miserable boy. You’d think that in a society full of heroes someone surely would help him, and yet..
The officers didn’t give up on him though, they believed they’ll find him. This child deserved to be saved, just like everyone else.
And he really needed to be saved, as quickly as possible, before anything bad can happen to him…
So cold… so hungry…
Tenko’s body was motionless. He was too exhausted to move, too exhausted to even think about anything, but about how tired and hungry he is. Everything felt heavy and painful. The itch has been only worsening with each day he spent sleeping outside, but holding his hand up to scratch it was too much to ask for, so he laid on the ground, in agony, as his flesh seemed to scream underneath his skin.
It was dark, wet and cramped. He chose this little hole under a bridge to shelter himself from rain the night before. He could still feel his soaked clothes clinging to his shaking body. He’d cry if only he could, but even this required too much energy. Not to mention he hasn’t been able to say a single word since he ran away, his throat tight and hoarse. As much as he tried to scream for help and beg, not a single sound could escape his dry lips.
Lying there, on the ground, he kept thinking about Hana and about how she would play heroes with him in secret, when father wasn’t around. He kept thinking about holding her warm hands and how brightly she could smile. She always tried to cheer him up, especially when he had to be punished. His mind then wandered off to his mother, always ready to embrace him. In her arms, he always felt the safest, like nothing and no one could hurt him anymore. Even though her words stung sometimes, she always seemed to care for him so much… His grandparents.. They always were there for him to extend an arm to cry on. Their calming presence could soothe any pain, yet still some always lingered. His father…
Tenko’s body was shaking as he sobbed wordlessly, trying to catch his breath and failing. The whole world seemed to have turned upside down and no one was there to help him, no one was there to save-
Suddenly, there was light.
It was irritating Tenko’s eyes, so he closed them. He could hear voices, multiple of them. People were shouting and screaming, he wasn’t sure what though. Something grabbed his hand for a second and then retreated. Now his wrist. He was being pulled somewhere and it hurt, but he couldn’t even make a sound of protest.
It was so bright. The hum of many voices filled his head, all of them melting into one continuous noise. Everything hurt, but especially his head. Tenko wasn’t sure what was happening.
The last thing he remembered was the warm hand pressed to his forehead as the whole world slowly started to fall into the cold, familiar darkness.