Middle school boarding institute

White Wing.

Nightime.

One kid, his two-stranded fringe flying behind him, was trying frantically to find the courtyard in the maze of halls surrounding the school, without attracting attention to himself.

"Damn, I was sure I took the correct corridor this time... I'm going around in circles... Pretty sure I already saw this bathroom twice..."

Which way was it, again? For a kid raised in the freedom of the Khu'rain countryside, to be secluded in an institution, as much a boarding school as a place for those without a place of their own... was a prison, in its own way... Torn apart from the only semblance of family, of belonging, of self It took Hosuke Odoroki all he had inside not to break down in pieces.

Forgetting about Khu'rain was a conscious decision, yet a hard one in hindsight. No one here had anything to their name. But at least, they had nowhere else to belong. The connection he held with the bracelet that hugged his wrist was that of a wandering heritage and a willing sacrifice. Khu'rain was all he had, and leaving it behind was like stripping himself of his connection with everything that conformed his self.

Boy... he wanted to yell so badly. His throat itched for release. The last time he had done such a thing, he had been scolded.

"If all I have is myself... no way I will let myself down! I will be fine, I know it!"

He had to keep repeating himself that, otherwise he would succumb to the sadness and turmoil that filled his chest.

Like so many others.

There was that one kid that had come in that last week. His eyes were always fixed in some indefinite point of the floor. His lips almost didn´t open to say his name, and his hand trembled as he scribbled the kanji from his name in the whiteboard.

Among the kids, each of which had taken a stance to cope with their loss, he was the one who kept his pain closer to the surface.

Hosuke could understand. Finding himself in a place where lost pieces of a jigsaw tried to fit each other, he had made the best of bad weather. Putting a brave face was his second nature. No one asked too many questions, and his go-getter self won over even kids that looked rather unfriendly in a jiffy. Even his common mistake of referring to money in therms of "dahma" instead of "en" was considered a quirk, a curiosity, and not something to be bullied for.

Confiding in this precedent, Hosuke had walked on to him the very first day and extended his hand, presenting himself. The kid had jumped, recoiling, a half-hearted atempt to raise his hand aborted, and he submitted meekly, eyes persistently fixed on the ground, to the ritual of being shown around. His demeanor made Hosuke think of a person who's being introduced to his life-sentence jail.

Try as he might, during that entire week, the boy just nodded or denied at his questions. He hadn't smiled once in that whole week. Even worse, when someone moved close to sit beside him, he stood up murmuring that they could have his tray. Hosuke had chased after him more than once, telling him that it was okay, he could go finish his meal and he'd see that no one would bother him, but the response was a single meek denial with the head.

This newcomer didn't seem to feel so at ease as he did, nor did he attempt to integrate to this new reality.

Of course, none of the kids there were in that place out of their own volition. Some kids took it better than others. Some avoided personal questions. Others avoided interacion outside class. Being the place it was... there were no extracurricular clubs or social meetups than they could look forward to. Life was rather slow, rutinary, grinding like a silent drop of water on a stone.

But when night came and sleep took hold... the place changed dramatically.

The White Wing dorms only hosted kids who didn't have parents.

And when the lights went off, the rustling of blankets couldn't disguise other less pleasant sounds and sights.

Sobbing into pillows.

Dry eyes staring into the ceiling.

Twitching mouth corners...

That was the mood at present in the dormitory. A mood that Hosuke fought at his best.

But the turmoil in his head nagged at him like a stubborn mosquito he couldn't swat away.

Had it already been a month since Dhurke sent him away?

Was he all right?

Was Nahyuta all right?

A full moon had come and passed by... with no news about the people he had known best.

And just how many more would go by?

Trying to stop his nostalgia and the eerie thoughts that came to his mind, he stood up and dressed in his school gakuran. He was not the only one, judging from the fact he caught a glimpse of a silhouette exiting the dorms minutes before he did.

And who could blame whoever it was... falling asleep in that atmosphere was depressing. Donning the uniform was a safe way to show that he wasn´t running away, just going out for a stroll in the night air to try and catch some rest.

"I'll go wash my face and take some air... and then... I'll be fine for reals!"

Fast rewind and there he was, standing in the hallway, looking around in confusion.

Which way was it, again?

He turned around for the umpteenth time, fearing the possibility of being found, scolded and punished for being up that late.

*sniff*

A broken sob.

Someone was around, then?

Chasing the source, he trotted, one hand in front of him to help find his way in the dark hallway, urgency in every fiber of his body.

"What's with buildings? I could find my way in the dark in Khurain, no problem! Well, anyway, that's not important anymore... I have to find out what's going on, and who did this to..."

To his surprise, that unexpected pointer helped him get to the elusive courtyard.

His heart started to pound against his ribcage.

Even if it sounded strange, he knew exactly who that sob belonged to.