Author's Note: A few- but long-chaptered story here on an amazing anime I watched (late to the party, but stylishly so?) earlier this year. Canon obsessions aside, here's a nice little OC take on the world. Hope you like it :)
"Onii-chan! Wait for me!" Hishima Tomio called, a grin on his face as he sprinted after his sister. Six years difference prevented the ten-year-old from catching her, but he wasn't about to give up trying, even if his sister held the informal record as the fastest runner among the town's children. Where the adults didn't bother to pay attention to the children's silly games, Tomio took the title very seriously, swearing that he would one day claim it for himself.
"C'mon, Tomio-chan! Stop being such a slowpoke!" Hishima Miyako shouted back at her brother playfully, long brown hair swishing through the air behind her as she ran. She might love and spoil her brother, but if he wanted to beat her in running, he'd have to beat her fair and square—no doting loopholes whatsoever.
A grin on her face, she kept her pace—fast enough to stay a step ahead of her brother, but slow enough so that he wouldn't get discouraged—as the two ran towards home.
"Okaa-san, Otou-san!" Miyako called, barely managing to clear the short, precarious climb up the porch steps but not bothering to slow her pace until her feet landed on bamboo rather than wood. "We're back!"
Her voice echoed through the house, bouncing off paper windows and tatami-padded floors. Silence greeted her, prompting a frown from the girl as she padded through the room.
Where's Okaa-san and Otou-san? she wondered, footsteps muted by the woven reeds under her feet. She leaned over to peek through the doorway into the next room. When we left, they were right—
Miyako froze, heart stopping.
"Okaa-san, Otou-san, I'm—"
"Get back, Tomio!" Miyako screamed, her feet rolling into motion just as a red-eyed figure crashed into the thin wall beside her, tearing paper and splintering wood.
With a sharp yell, Tomio fell back, eyes wide with fear as he took in the intruder. Veins of molten metal crawled over the monster's body like vines would a tree. Its coal-like eyes glowed in the dark, flashing red as they flicked and caught on the two humans cowering at the other side of the room.
The sight imprinted itself into Tomio's heart, digging its own fearful niche in his mind. The beast looked inhuman, but it stood on two legs—a crazed, bipedal being that had donned a skin too small, too fragile to contain its monstrous spirit. On its chest, right where its heart should have been, was a glow swirled with blackness—a star in the midst of corruption.
"Tomio!" Miyako yelled, feet pounding on the tatami mat as she charged over, grabbing her brother's arm and dragging him out of his stupor. Fear flowed cold through her veins as she ran out door, her brother in tow.
"Otou-san! Okaa-san!" she yelled, hoping that either of her parents would respond despite the monster's presence in their home.
There's still a chance that one of them—that both of them are still alive, she thought, breaths quick and shallow as she sprinted into the courtyard. Beside her, Tomio had been reduced to a nervous wreck, tremors clacking his knees together as he clung onto his sister's arm.
"Tomio, I need you with me. Stay sharp," Miyako ordered, spinning around and clasping her brother's shoulder with her other hand. Tomio's eyes focused on his sister's, and he blinked before nodding frantically.
A smile graced Miyako's face when she saw how hard her brother was trying to "man up," straightening his spine and pulling back his shoulders so that his ten-year-old chest puffed up to form a hollow chasm of mock confidence. The smile, however, disappeared as wet thuds approached the doorway the siblings had just exited from. The red-eyed creature paused at the top of the stairs, moonlight illuminating its body.
Blood! Miyako realized with a jolt, eyes widening as she took in the crimson liquid splattered over the veined creature. Its feet, in particular, were covered in it, shod in murky red that gleamed under the night light.
"Tomio, we need to—"
A bellow sounded from the other side of the courtyard. Miyako snapped around just quick enough to glimpse two more black-eyed, gold-pupiled beasts careening towards her, saliva sloshing out of their mouths. Thrusting her brother to her left, Miyako attempted to kick the first black-pupiled beast that came her way. Her foot connecting with the creature's side, sending the creature back a step, but the other creature saw its chance, grabbing on and sinking its teeth into Miyako's shoulder.
"Onii-chan!" Tomio shouted, tears bursting forth from his eyes as Miyako screamed in pain, doubling over in the humanoid beast's grasp.
The creature she'd kicked recovered itself, grabbing at her. Its fingers hooked onto Miyako's necklace, pulling it so that it dug into her neck, knotting in place tightly. Preparing to bite the girl, the creature instead it found itself knocked away from its prey with a heavy blow that left it more confused than winded.
"Miyako! Take Tomio and run!" Hishima Tamotsu shouted at his daughter, panting as he knocked the other beast off Miyako with a bamboo sword—a shinai.
"Otou-san!" Miyako cried, relief saturating her voice as she threw herself towards her father.
"Miyako, now!" Tamotsu roared, snapping the girl out of her relief-stricken daze. "Take Tomio and run!"
"But Otou-san—"
"NOW!" Tamotsu roared, spittle flying.
Miyako took a step back, alarmed.
"Now, Miyako! Run!"
Turning, Miyako choked back a sob as she scooped up her brother's arm again and ran from the courtyard, not looking back.
"Otou-san!" Tomio cried, struggling against his sister's grip as they sprinted away from their home. He found himself dragged away against his will, forced to keep moving unless he wanted to be pulled off balance and onto the ground. "Miyako, no! We can't leave Otou-san behind!"
Miyako let her brother's cries whip away with the wind as she kept up her sprint, hot tears soaring off with them. She kept running, because that was her job: to keep running.
"Keep Tomio safe!" Hishima's voice called through a chorus of snarls. "Protect your brother, Miyako! I love you!"
Splinters dug into the soles of her feet, the stinging pain turning icey as blood evaporated. Her pace wasn't adjusted to the her brother's this time, but it didn't matter; all that mattered was that they got away—away from the sickening crunches that were sure to follow.
— — —Kabane. That was the name of the frothy-spittled beasts whose molten lava eyes had bored holes into Miyako's soul. No one knew what they were or how they came to be, but one thing was for certain: they hungered for human blood like monsters of lore, and Miyako loathed and feared them in equal measure. They'd ripped her family apart, claiming both of her parents with one fell swoop. Though she'd known it was a vain, feeble, pathetic dream that her father—despite the bite-marks he'd arrived to save her with, despite his tattered, blood-soaked clothes—had survived, and though she'd known it was utterly stupid to even consider whether her mother had somehow made it out of the house alive when the puddles of blood Miyako tried her best to blot from her memory clearly declared otherwise, she'd hoped.
Of course, though, her hopes had gone unanswered. What was left of the town had taken residence in a train station reconfigured into a boarded-up stronghold, but it wasn't until hours after the guards had sealed up the station entrance that she was forced to admit to herself that her parents were not coming to meet her. All she had left of them was her necklace, now so tightly knotted around her neck that it hurt to turn her head, the thin metal chain digging into her skin whenever she tried. The chain had knotted just above the pendant, but she could breathe, so removing it wasn't required—not that she'd want to. The picture in the ovular frame inside was her last and only proof of the happy family she'd once been a part of.
"Tomio, are you hungry?" Miyako prompted, giving the boy she was hugging a gentle squeeze when she spotted guards passing out rations nearby.
A headshake answered her, not breaking the oppressive silence.
"Tomio, you have to eat," the girl chided, patting the boy's shoulder and moving to rise. "Stay here. I'll go get us some—"
"Don't leave me!" Tomio cried, tears collecting at the edge of his eyes as he snatched at his sister's sleeve. "Don't leave me."
Miyako's heart broke, shattering at her feet in a pristine pile of despair, but she scooped the pieces up and pasted on a smile.
"Don't you worry, Tomio-chan. Here—come with me," she said, pulling the boy to his feet. "I think they're passing out the bakery bread—don't you like the cream-filled ones the best?"
Silence greeted her question, but Miyako ignored it, choosing to plow through.
"You like the ones that aren't very sweet, right? Like the ones that Okaa-san makes when Otou-san—"
"Stop it!" Tomio shouted, snapping his arm out of his sister's grasp and turning on her with wild eyes. "Stop talking about our parents like they're still alive!"
Miyako paused, arm frozen at her side. A heartbeat passed, then two.
"Tomio," she breathed, voice rimmed with shakiness. "Please—"
"Don't!" Tomio shouted, his voice quieting the hall. "Don't!"
"Is everything alright?" an armored guard asked, walking over and looking between the two siblings. Miyako took a deep breath, recovering herself enough to flash the guard a flimsy smile.
"Yes. May we get some food?" she asked, eyes sliding to the basket of paper-wrapped bread the guard was holding.
"Of course. Please try to be quiet from now on—there are people trying to get some rest," he told Miyako as he handed her two small loaves.
"We will," Miyako promised, bowing respectfully. "Thank you."
The guard nodded, moving away to continue his rounds.
Looking over at her brother, Miyako hesitated before gently replacing her hand around his shoulder.
"Why don't we sit back down, Tomio?" Miyako asked, patting the boy's back.
Silent once again, Tomio sank down, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his face in them. Miyako sat down next to him, silently pocketing the loaves of bread, her stomach churning at the sickeningly sweet smell wafting out from the paper.
— — —A shriek broke the quiet rustling of the crowd, sharp with terror as it echoed off the station walls. More shrieks followed, and Miyako turned to spot a crowd of people tripping over one another in haste as they backed away from some unseen terror. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the object—creature—that had incited the people's' fear, its eyes of flaming coals flashing as it reached an arm out, snatching at the nearest person.
Shooting to her feet, Miyako dragged Tomio into a sprint for the side of the station that was furthest from the Kabane. Screams chased their footsteps, fear drowning out all other noises.
I have to keep Tomio safe, Miyako thought, panting as she ran. I have to keep Tomio away from the Kabane.
Her head burned with the onset of what seemed like a fever, but the bucket of icy terror that had been upended on her at the sight of the creature kept her moving towards the other side of the station. Her mind was a daze, but she knew her mission: make sure her father's death wasn't for nothing and keep her brother safe.
— — —"Everyone line up!" a guard shouted, walking towards the siblings' side of the station. "Line up for examination!"
Murmurings permeated the room, thick with confusion and fear.
Examination? Miyako wondered, hugging her brother close as they lined up behind an elderly woman and her grandchild. What for?
Her head was a mess of hot and cold now, her forehead misty with sweat as she fought to remain lucid. Why do I have to get a fever now, when Tomio needs me? Miyako wondered, breaths heavy.
"Onii-chan, are you alright?" Tomio's voice asked from beside her. Miyako immediately nodded, bringing her sleeve to cover her mouth. The last thing she needed was to get him sick.
"Fine," she panted, wincing as a sharp crack of pain laced through her skull. "I'm fine."
Noticing the girl's clear shade of sickness, the people near Miyako shied away, allowing for a buffer between themselves and the pallid girl. The guards picked up on this change quickly, walking over.
"Miss, are you alright?" one of the guards asked. Miyako attempted a nod at him but found herself too dizzy to complete the action.
"Get back, she's been bitten!" another guard shouted. While the people around her clearly had no idea what the guard's words entailed, the fear in the guard's voice and the stances the rest of the guards took on—shifting from cautious to outright fearful and defensive, hands shooting towards the hilts of their guns—gave them enough of an idea. The crowd shrieked back, away from the panting girl whose skin was a tad too pale, her skin a tad too misty.
"Boy, get away from her!" the same guard shouted.
Miyako felt a prickle of anger. How dare he try and separate her from Tomio?
When Tomio didn't move, the guard took a step towards the siblings, causing Miyako to wrap her hands around Tomio and clutch him closer.
"Onii-chan," Tomio said, hesitation and concern clouding his voice.
"Boy, your sister's dangerous. Get away from her," the guard said, hand not leaving the hilt of his gun.
Miyako flinched, and immediately four guns were cocked at her, triggers clicking as fingers placed the first bit of pressure against them.
"No!" Tomio shouted, throwing his hands up to hug his sister. "Don't hurt Miyako-onii-chan!"
"You don't know what you're doing, boy," the guard said, taking a step forward.
Miyako tensed, registering a threat, and the guard adjusted his grip on the gun.
"Let go of your brother, Miyako-san," he said, his voice steady.
Miyako panted, eyes dully registering the guard's. His were bright, determined—much unlike hers at the moment, she would imagine.
What do I look like right now? she wondered. Her head felt like a bloated boulder on her shoulders, her mind like a bag of wet wool. Why am I dangerous?
"You have until the count of three to release your brother, Miyako-san. If you don't, I'll be forced to fire upon both of you," the guard said, voice without a trace of the hesitation or concern Tomio's had. "One. Two— "
Miyako's arms fell to her side, herself keeling over onto her knees as she continued panting. Her fever was getting worse, and fast.
The guard who'd stepped forward cocked his gun.
"Fi—"
"NO!" Tomio cried, throwing himself over his sister. "Don't hurt her!"
Murmuring broke out across the hall, the residents frightened and confused by what was going on. Were the guards turning on them? But what was wrong with the girl? Was she sick?
"Tsk." The guard dropped his gun to his side, stepping forward and tugging Tomio away from his sister. "You're too stupid for your own good, you know that?"
"No, stop! Don't hurt Onii-chan!" he shouted, squirming in the man's grip. "Don't hurt Miyako-onii-chan! Don't hurt her!"
The man paused, his grip steely around the boy's arm as he weighed his options.
"Very well. But she can't stay here."
— — —Her way out had been a window on the second story of the station, as Miyako had discovered when she next came to. While it wasn't a long fall, she'd landed on her arm awkwardly, and her head had bounced twice before settling onto the floor. The dull pain that came with the impact served to momentarily clear her mind, and she dimly registered a voice calling her name. Her eyes fluttered at the burning sensation on her arm where skin had undoubtedly been scraped off by the rocky ground.
"Miyako-onii-chan!" the voice called again.
Tomio! Miyako thought, snapping up to see the boy's head poking out of the window. The guard was beside him, eyes narrowed.
"Tomio!" she called as her brother was pulled out of sight, her voice cracking.
"He'll be safe!" the guard called, pulling the window close behind him.
Too weak to protest, Miyako felt her head falling again.
— — —Screams roused her this time, and her eyes snapped open to spot a horde of lava-eyed creatures crawling over the station.
Tomio! Miyako thought sharply, adrenaline pulsing through her as she forced herself to her feet. The fog in her head cleared, and although the pain remained, Miyako found that she could move.
Her feet carried her briskly towards the station and past the gaping hole of a doorway the Kabane had themselves burst through, the monsters too busy swarming their cache to notice the new arrival.
Tomio, she thought, her brother's name filling her mind. Tomio.
Her eyes darted around the room, vaguely registering Kabane feasting on fallen townsfolk before catching on the center of the rabble: guards lined up on the side of a train, half of them working to keep the Kabane at bay, and the other half attempting to carve a way through the crowd of Kabane on the tracks.
Tomio! Miyako thought, eyes fixing on a particular black-haired boy taking cover amongst the guards as a Kabane broke the ranks and charged towards the train. No! Tomio!
A growl ripped itself from her throat, and her vision reddening. Her steps carried her towards the Kabane in quick succession, the crowd of beasts beside her a blur as she zeroed in on the immediate threat to her brother's safety.
"No you don't!" she shouted, flinging herself towards the Kabane and tackling it to the ground. Fear was not a factor when it came to her brother's safety, and she found that the Kabane's skull was softer than she'd imagined under her fists. Her blows were frenzied, one after the other, and the Kabane's skull slowly flattened under the onslaught.
A sharp pain sprouted on her arm while she was readying her next strike.
"You!" she roared, snapping around and punching the Kabane that had bitten her. It soared back, lost in the flood of lava-eyed monsters surging towards their new target, who met them head on, unafraid. Every moan was matched with a yell, every pair of snatching arms with a fist, elbow, or foot as Miyako fought through the wave. The Kabane were but weak, insignificantly slow bodies of soft flesh in her quest to protect Tomio, and the slick of blood on her fists meant that her childhood karate lessons—unorthodox and rare as they were—were finally paying off.
Soon, the tracks were clear of all but a few lingering Kabane, with Miyako working to clear the last of the rabble so the train could finally leave. However, the locomotive seemed to have no intention of doing so despite its humming engine.
"What are you doing? Leave!" Miyako shouted at the guards who seemed as shocked as they were wary. Silence greeted her from the train, but screams from her left drew her attention.
What are they doing? They're going in the wrong direction, Miyako thought, gritting her teeth as she watched a pack of guards scramble desperately for the wall. Wait…
Snapping around to look at the train's path, Miyako saw a formidable steel gate in the track's wake.
They must be trying to open it! she realized, immediately taking off for the wall the guards were gunning for. Ahead of her were a few humans, a horde of Kabane, and some boxes, but Miyako kept moving, herself just out of reach for the pursuing Kabane that seemed drawn to her like piranhas. The guards there were valiantly attempting to gun down the nearest Kabane, and although they were able to bring down a few of the monsters, the ones they shot down were quickly replaced by others in the tumultuous swirl of Kabane bloodlust.
Miyako arrived, striking down the nearest Kabane as the guards watched with shocked awe, their surprise distracting them briefly before they managed to recover themselves and continue shooting a way through the crowd of Kabane.
One guard broke away from the group, sprinting over to a glass-encased metal stand—the control panel. Breaking open the panel's glass shell, he clicked a key into place and slammed his fist down on a button. The station gates groaned open, their progression up slow and steady as the guard who opened them shrieked his burial under a pack of Kabane.
Thank god. Tomio's safe, Miyako thought, kicking another Kabane out of the way. Now I just need to get over—
An explosion echoed from above, and Miyako looked up just in time to see the station roof come crashing down.
