Someone Cares
8 year old Anna Kushina ducked her head as she ran into an alley, hoping to find a spot to settle and wait for a reprieve from the torrent of rain. She was a small girl; it would make it easy to hide from the onslaught.
As she leaned against the side of an old brick building she pushed her long white hair out of her eyes. Water dripped down her face, hiding the fact that tears were streaming out of her red eyes. It had been a long, hard day trying to find a place to stay. She missed her Aunt's place...but she couldn't stay. Not now that everyone knows of her "abilities". A strain, they called her. Something cursed in her Aunt's society. No, it was safer for her to leave. Out here, no one knows who she is...what she is. She's no one...
Just then two men rushed down the side walk, ducking their heads against the rain. To her surprise, she could actually see them. It was like...they burned red...It was...beautiful. She ached to touch...Red was friendly to her. Red was her friend. But she stopped herself. She didn't need them knowing what she was.
She stood silently and went to quietly make her way down the alley when she bumped into something, causing a loud rash. She froze, hoping that the two men would just continue past, not paying attention to her. To her dismay they didn't. They turned and looked in her direction, pausing their rush. The one who's red burned brighter walked up to her. She took a step back away from him. No one could know.
He paused a few feet away from her. He didn't say anything...just looked her over. She looked down at her feet in shame, knowing what he would find. A small girl in a dirt covered dress that was soaked, old shoes a little too small, and hair that never wanted to stay where she put it. She just waited for his condemnation, his disgust. But he just stood there, silently. Finally, she chanced a look up. He was holding out his jacket to her.
Surprise lightened her features. Why would he do that? Why would he give her something nice? He didn't know her. She eyed him warily for a moment deciding if he was tricking her, before grabbing it and slipping it over her shoulders. It was warm. It was too big, coming down to her ankles.
The man held out his hand to her.
"I'm Mikoto. What's yours?"
Her eyes darted between his hand and his face, before reaching out and putting her small hand in his.
"Anna." She replied softly, knowing he could hear her anyway.
A small smile graced his lips.
"Nice to meet you, Anna. Why don't you come with me and we'll get you dry and warm hmm?"
Before she even thought about it she walked away with him, somehow knowing that everything would be okay.