Chapter Text
Atsushi was going to die. He was slowly starving to death and he couldn’t do anything about it. His life was over.
He was wandering through the streets of Yokohama with no avail. No one seemed to care about him and just ignored him. Even though his bones could be seen through his skin, no one stopped to help him. His clothes hung off his shoulders and could barely stay up. He felt weak.
His eyes were sunken in and heavy bags were sustained from sleepless nights. It had been 2 weeks since he had escaped from his old orphanage. It was a spur of the moment, he saw an opening and ran after a worse day than normal. No one was guarding the gate, and he climbed over before anyone else could stop him. At first it felt amazing, he reveled in the moment and cherished his freedom. He had never known the world outside of the grey concrete walls and large clock.
But after the first day, he was beginning to regret the decision. He had replaced endless torture with painful hunger that ate at him. At the very least, he had food everyday at the orphanage. Out here, he had nothing but an occasional drink from an old, dirty stream.
Though this hunger wasn’t much worse than everything else he went through. No matter where he went there would always be pain.
He knew there was only one option left. He had made up his mind days ago. In order to survive, he would have to steal.
He didn’t like the idea, but what else could he do? Atsushi didn’t have any other choice if he wanted to make it past another day.
While walking, he scouted his target. There were plenty of convenience stores around him and they were all so crowded. He didn’t want to risk being caught if someone saw him. But maybe the extra people would provide a cover.
He was nervous. He had stolen food in the past, and it led to some… unfortunate consequences. He was used to the feeling of hunger, but this was different. He had never been left without food for this long. Atsushi could tell he was on the verge of death and it hurt his entire body. His stomach felt like it was curling in on itself and he could feel and see every bone on his skin.
He spotted a small store near the end of the street. Its neon sign had faded to a faint glow in the evening light. It was small and emptier than other ones he had seen. This was probably the only store for a long time where he had a chance of getting away with theft.
The high pitched ding of the door sang as it opened. Atsushi walked in, his head down and his hands were firmly at his side. He felt eyes on him, which was expected. His grey clothes were tattered and certainly not normal looking. People had been looking at him since he entered the city.
He wandered through the aisles and avoided every person nearby. He searched for foods that nobody would notice if one or two went missing. He glanced around the shop and his eyes landed on the fruit on the side wall.
They were piled high on shelves and next to the freezers containing frozen meals. Atsushi was sure nobody would see him stuff a few of them into his pockets. He quickly walked over and stared at them for a moment.
They were perfect and made his mouth water. Fruit this ripe was a rare occurrence in his old orphanage. Atsushi grabbed an apple and held it up closer to his face. Its red exterior was shiny and beautiful. He felt bad even holding such an object. After all, every adult in his life had reminded him that he was not worthy of such luxury.
Atsushi quickly closed his fist around it and shoved it into one of his two pockets before grabbing another and doing the same on the other side. Because of their size, the only space left only allowed for something small, so he opted for some of the tinier oranges.
They were just as amazing as the apples. Their orange color was mesmerizing to look at. But he knew he could admire them from a safer space than inside of the store he was actively stealing from. He stuffed them into the available space in the pockets. They were bulging, but if he ran out quick enough, no one would even see him-
“Hey! I saw that!” An employee shouted at Atsush from behind the checkout counter. She ran up to him and grabbed his wrist. Her other co-worker quickly joined and glared at him.
“What did he do?” The second employee asked. He crossed his arms and seemed to be the one in charge.
“This kid stole from fruit and put them in his pockets,” the first responded. She pointed to his pockets. “What should we do?”
“Just throw him out,” he told her. The second employee rubbed his head and sighed. “This is the second theft we’ve had this week!”
Atsushi’s breathing quicker and his throat tightened. He hadn’t expected for them to see him. He had been careful, but he guessed it wasn’t good enough.
Old memories of times he would steal from the orphanage’s pantry flashed through his mind. He remembered the harsh yells and beatings he endured just because he hadn’t been given dinner that night. He could feel the slaps of the caregivers as they reprimanded him for trying to fill his empty stomach.
Atsushi looked to the ground and tried to fight back tears. He had nowhere else to go and now he was for sure going to die. If he was this bad at stealing, they would have to clean his dead body off the streets soon.
“Come on,” the first yanked on his arm and began to drag him towards the door. Then he stopped suddenly in her tracks as the bell resonated through the shop.
“What’s going on?” A male voice asked from in front of them. His words were filled with concern.
Atsushi looked up. A man with an odd haircut stood before him. His hair was split dyed between a light purple and white with choppy layers. The longest layer was tied up in a ponytail. He wore a black jacket with grey pants. His face had sharp features, but in contrast, his expression was soft and caring.
“Do you know this kid?” The second worker questioned. He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head at the mysterious man.
“Yes. Did he do something wrong?” The man responded. He held his hand up to his heart and walked over to the group of people.
Atsushi’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped. He had never seen this guy in his life, but he was willing to save him from trouble.
“Yeah. He stole some fruit,” the first employee informed him. She looked back at Atsushi and loosened her grip slightly. She turned back to the man.
“Oh my. I am so sorry. I’ve been looking for him for a few minutes and saw him making a commotion in here,” the man recounted. He stepped closer to Atsushi and grabbed onto his shoulder before facing the store workers. “I can pay for anything he may have taken.”
“It’s alright, you don’t need to. Just know he’s not allowed back in here,” the second employee told the two. The first completely let go of Atsushi and he rubbed his wrist.
“Thank you,” the man said. He turned to Atsushi, “Give them back.”
Atsushi reached into his pockets and brought out the goods. He placed them into the hands of the second employee, who seemed more annoyed than ever.
“Again, so sorry for the inconvenience! We’ll leave now,” the man reassured, flashing a warm smile. He kept a hand on Atsushi and walked out with him.
Atsushi followed him out and as soon as they crossed the street corner the man turned to him. He get grabbed his shoulders and got down to his level.
“Don’t do that again. That was really stupid. If you’re going to steal again, do better,” the man quickly walked off, leaving Atsushi in the small alleyway. The sun began to set in the distance and the shadows grew longer.
Atsushi spaced out. He stared at the man who had just saved him from trouble, before running at him.
The man turned around and rubbed his nose bridge, “Listen, kid. I can’t help you anymore. Just leave me alone.”
He motioned for Atsushi to go away and started off again, but Atsushi didn’t let it stop him. This was his one chance at a better life. This was his one opportunity at not dying tonight.
He followed the man closely and didn’t let him get further than a few feet away from him. They turned a few street corners before the man whipped around again.
“Stop doing that! What do you want?!” He yelled at Atsushi. The boy jumped and stood for a moment, before whispering softly.
“I’m hungry.”