"Are you going to pick up Hiro again? He can get home by himself," Dad's words rang, repeating in my mind. As I waited for Hiro to come out of the station, I began to wonder why I pick him up anyway. Hiro's practically an adult now.
"Now that I think about it... Maybe I pick him up because I know he'll buy me food on the way home..." I murmured to myself.
Since he's been busy lately with work, maybe I'll treat him today. It's been three months since he came home anyway. It'll be a little "welcome home" gift.
When Hiro walked out of the station, I suggested the idea to him. He agreed on the spot which was a surprise. I'd expect him to disagree and begin insisting on buying me something instead. He even said that we should go to eat ice cream. I guess he really has been stressed if he's letting me take him out and being so bold to voice his cravings.
"I saw you on tv when you saved those kids. Your hero costume looked cool. And I guess you did take my suggestion... Y'know, making your hero name Hiro," I said as we walked to the ice cream parlor. I noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses. I found that kind of strange, so I asked him.
He pointed to his eyes. "Contacts!"
Oh yeah. That makes sense.
I noticed that he was staring at me. Maybe there was leftover rice on my face? Or dried up drool? I did take a nap before coming here.
"My bad. I didn't mean to stare," he apologized sheepishly. "You have a lovely face, Rin."
I looked at him in shock and embarrassment. I found that weird of him to say. He wasn't one to compliment me out of the blue. Not to mention, the way he's acting. Maybe he's just happy that he's back home? It started to get a bit awkward, so I asked him how work was going since he got promoted to hero status.
"Everything's going great! Taking down evil villains and all," he chirped. "But you don't want to hear about boring jobs, do you? How are you doing, Rin?"
"Er... Fine, I guess?"
"How about your friends, Rin? Anything fun happen?"
Darting my eyes away, I said, "Oh yeah, some of my friends came over and like, accidentally broke your closet. Masterbaiter-, er, my friend said he'll pay you back."
Hiro let out a chuckle. "Really? That sounds exciting. I wonder how much he'll pay..."
We both stopped upon seeing the large crowd in front of us. There were police cars everywhere. News anchors and cameras rushed to get an interview with the hero. Amidst the people, I peeked through to see a familiar strawberry head with shades.
"Strawberry Shades! Strawberry Shades! May we have a word with you?" a lady holding a microphone said. The cameraman pointed the camera at him.
"Yes! Of course!" the hero cheerfully said.
"It seems like you've been running around the city apprehending many villains lately. The people have noticed that despite the recent attacks made by the Crimson Eclipse, you always manage to put a stop to their antics while retaining that upbeat attitude of yours. How do you do it?"
The hero beamed. Leaning into the mic, he replied, "It is quite simple! It's all thanks to my most favorite hero, the Symbol of Peace: All Might! I aspire to bring justice and joy just like him with a smile!"
"Of course! Many heroes aspire to be like him. What would you do if you were to meet him?"
"Meet All Might?" he repeated, with an excited expression appearing on his face. "W-well, that would be fantastically fantastic!"
As the news anchor continued to interview him, Hiro and I walked around the crowd. I noticed that three red-clothed men were getting shoved into a cop car in handcuffs. They wore a red bandana around their necks and shiny, latex jackets.
Crimson Eclipse again? They've been running rampant lately. Their attacks have been getting more radical too. Just last week, they blew up one of the police stations. Since U.A. is in the area, people are saying that they might attack it next. Also, there's a weird movement happening on social media. Ever since Crimson Eclipse's attacks became more violent, there have been people all over the internet beginning to post things about their support to the cause. I guess their crazy ideology is able to get through some people's heads. It's unnerving.
"That's Strawberry Shades. I've heard a lot about him. He's a pretty funny guy," Hiro remarked. Noticing the Crimson Eclipse members getting pushed into the car, he said, "Crimson Eclipse? I don't understand them one bit. They're weird talking about building a society with strong quirks. The utopia that they want seems pretty restricting, to me."
"I mean, I guess?" I replied, scratching my cheek. "Have you ran into any of them in Murato City?"
"Yep! But looks like they're more focused on doing something big here in Musutafu instead," he said, a bit too happily. "I wonder what their next move is..."
We were almost away from the scene when I heard Strawberry Shades call out to me. I ignored him and picked up the pace to avoid a camera getting shove in my face. However, Hiro stopped and I had no choice but to do the same. I felt everyone's eyes fall onto me along with all the cameras in the vicinity point at me as Strawberry Shades jogged over. I awkwardly stood there until he arrived.
"Rin-chan! It's wonderful to see you," he said with a grin. He gasped upon seeing the friendship bracelet around my wrist. "C-could it be? You're wearing the bracelet I made!"
"Um, yeah. I've been wearing it since you gave it to me..."
He dramatically clutched his chest as tears pricked his eyes. "M-my heart! I don't think I can take this wholesomeness!"
"Strawberry Shades, right?" Hiro asked. "Nice to meet you. I am Hiro, Rin's big brother!"
"Ah, yes! I recall our meeting," Strawberry Shades replied.
I stiffened upon hearing that. Excusing myself for a moment, I pulled Strawberry Shades to the side and whispered in his ear.
"Hiro doesn't know that you're the same guy from the festival... Y'know, Barry?"
"Oh, yeah! That's right! He doesn't know that I'm-"
I shushed him before he could expose himself. Then reminding him again to not spill the beans, we turned back around.
"Y-yes! I am the hero: Strawberry Shades! Hello, Onishi Rin's brother! It's nice to meet you for the very first time!" he stiffly said. I cringed. However, Hiro remained ignorant of their previous encounter and started talking to him about his hero work. I would've expected him to ask Strawberry Shades on how he knew me, but I shrugged it off. Soon enough, the topic of conversation steered in the direction of quirks.
"Your quirk allows you to create seeds, right? That sounds lovely," Hiro complimented.
The hero nodded. "That's correct! I heard that your quirk is amazing. Who'd you inherit it from? I got mine from my fabulous father! But I'm puzzled over something..."
He peered at me through his cat-eyed lenses. "Mitsumu told me that Rin-chan didn't get either of your parents' quirks but you did."
Right when he said that, I stiffened. Hiro's eyes flickered to me in curiosity.
Crap. He wasn't supposed to say that. I didn't tell my parents or Hiro that I found my quirk.
"W-we gotta go now," I nervously said, backing away. "It was n-nice seeing you..."
"Already? We were having such a wonderful conversation!" he protested.
Walking behind Hiro, I pushed him away. We left the displeased hero behind as news anchors began to flood back to him.
"What's this about, Rin?" Hiro asked me.
I tried to avoid the conversation by telling him it was nothing. However, he wasn't backing down. He persisted on the topic.
"I... Uh, I... My..." I stuttered, struggling to find an excuse. Seeing that we arrived at the ice cream parlor, I changed the subject. I suggested we go inside to eat. I zipped to order ice cream. Luckily there was no line or else this diversion wouldn't have worked.
"Chocolate Caramel sundae," I quickly spoke. I glanced at Hiro to let him know it was his turn. He ended up ordering Pomegranate sundae that was drizzled with strawberry syrup. As we took a seat near the window, I couldn't help but wonder why he made that choice, so I asked him.
"I thought you hated pomegranate."
"Not anymore! Pomegranates are delicious, Rin."
I shrugged it off. People's tastes change when they get older. Who knows, maybe I'll grow up to hate chocolate. Though, that sounds outrageous.
"So! About your...friend..." Hiro started. "Strawberry Shades! How's he like? Tell me everything about him!"
I'd expect him to continue the discussion of my quirk not talk about him. It was a bit weird but I wasn't complaining. I'll write an entire book of my encounters with Strawberry Shades if that's what it takes to avoid talking about my quirk. Though, it's strange that he's so interested in that guy.
"Strawberry Shades... Well, he's kind of, uh, difficult to describe. He's like...kinda weird. He is wearing a strawberry mask, after all. He's cocky, bold, reckless, and way too energetic for me," I began. "But..."
The image of Strawberry Shades appearing to stop the villain at the Hero Festival flashed in my mind. Along with that, the reassuring, dazzling smile.
"He's always been great at lightening the mood. He's a good person, and he's a good hero."
I didn't realize that a small smile had curled up on my face until Hiro let out a giggle.
"Wow, really? He sounds like an amazing friend!" Hiro remarked. "Do you think he'll want to become friends with me?"
"I mean, probably. He asks me about you a lot. So does everyone in Blackbird."
Oops. I let that last bit slip out.
Hiro raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "Blackbird? You mean the vigilante group?"
"U-uh... Blackbird? Er..." I stuttered as I began to sweat. He rested his face on his palms and let out a giggle.
"Don't worry. I know about them. I know a few things, actually."
"Here are your orders!" the waitress said to us. She set our ice cream down before walking away.
This doesn't feel right. There's something wrong with him.
"I..." I said beginning to stand up. However, he beckoned me to sit back down.
"Where you going? I just got my sundae. I want to eat," he replied nonchalantly.
When I looked into his eyes, they weren't his. The usual relaxing feeling in them was gone. Instead, there was a different set of eyes. The foreign, distant, and maniacal stare bore into me.
"Besides, we have things to chat about, Rin-chan. Sit back down."
Hiro gave me a wide grin exposing sharp canines. He began to tap the table softly as he stared at me.
I can tell that this person is dangerous. If they're able to impersonate Hiro, copying his appearance and voice, who knows what else they're capable of? There's no need to be too brash, at least, not yet.
Thump... thump... thump...
I cautiously sat back down in my seat. Seeing that, the grin on Hiro's face widened. "Oh, Rin-chan... You're very lovely, you know that?"
"What...have you done with Hiro?"
The smile from his face fell. He pouted as he picked up the spoon. They began to play with their ice cream.
"No thank you? That's kind of harsh, Rin-chan..." they remarked. "I was supposed to go home with you and inspect your dad, but it looks like you caught onto me much more quickly than expected! You're cunning, Rin-chan! I'll tell you where your big brother is if you tell me about your papa."
Dad? What's so special about him? And who would try to get information on him?
"Hello~? Are you listening~?" they piped, waving a hand in front of my face. "I need to know everything about him. Kiyoshi said he'll buy me anything I want if I do."
The events of that night flashed in my head along with the presence of a tall, pale, dark-haired man with an armor of bone around his fist.
If this person is working for Kiyoshi, they must be in Crimson Eclipse. I'm getting used to dealing with their crazy members, but this person was on another level. I think it's best to wait and listen to what they have to tell me.
Hiro took a bite of ice cream. "I've been wanting to get more clothes lately, so that's why I took the job. So yeah, mind telling me everything? Maybe not everything because I do know a few things, like how he was in Venom's Bane with Kiyoshi and that is little sister ran away. I'm not sure why though. Kiyoshi didn't tell me the details, but Akira said his sister left Venom's Bane to become a hero. "
So that's why Kiyoshi said he knew Dad back then. They were in the gang together. But I wasn't too focused on that. I was more attentive to Dad's sister. By the way my parents were acting at the dinner table when Bakugo came over, they made it seemed like she passed away. But if his sister, or should I say, my aunt, ran away to be a hero, how come he never told me about her?
"But I guess that didn't work out so well for her! She should've stayed instead of becoming one of those superficial, shallow, heroes!" Hiro's lookalike remarked. "Being constricted to outdated rules is so boring. What's the point of having a quirk if you can't use it whenever you wanna?"
I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I was getting fed up with this. Hiro-lookalike took notice and tilted his head.
"What's the matter, Rin-chan? You should hurry and eat your sundae before it melts!"
"Wh-who are you? Where is my brother?" I demanded, with a tinge of vexation in my voice.
The impersonater ignored me and grabbed another spoonful of pink ice cream. Sticking it in Hiro's mouth, a delighted blush appeared on his face.
"Mmm! Yummy! I love the taste of pomegranate!" they mused. "But not as much as his blood..."
Hearing that made my heartbeat skip. My body temperature began to rise and my breaths quickened. Something heavy inside began to swirl and expand. And then, the hand that was resting on the table began to tremble with the prickling sensation rising to my fingertips. Was it frustration? Worry? Fear?
"Say, Rin-chan, I've heard a little bit about your quirk. It sounds cool!" they remarked carelessly. "Lemme see!"
The spoon in their fingertips surges toward me. Before reaching my face, the spoon bends in half and flies down to the ground. Customers sitting near us noticed the sudden attack and turned to look.
Hiro's lookalike clapped in awe upon seeing me deflect the spoon. "Woah! That was amazing! Say, can we be friends? I want to be your friend, Rin-chan!"
"Tell me where Hiro is," I repeated, a bit more firmly this time.
A wide grin spread on his face. "I don't want to make my friend angry. Here, I'll take you to where he is!"
Without warning, the table flips over with our icy treats crashing to the floor. Before I could react, they surge toward me and knock me down. The weight of Hiro's athletic physique was not helping me escape one bit, as I tried to push my attacker off of me. Meanwhile, the people in the shop began to run out in panic.
"Stay still, Rin-chan! Don't you wanna see your big brother?" my attacker asked, as Hiro's knee pressed down on my stomach.
They threw a punch to my face. Using my quirk, Hiro's fist goes swiping the other way.
"You can even deflect punches too? I'm so glad I'm friends with someone this cool!" they exclaimed, pulling up their sleeve.
Before they could, Strawberry Shades goes flying through the window. His foot nearly kicked Hiro's lookalike in the face, but they were able to dodge it in time. Flipping up in the air, they smoothly landed back on their heels a couple of feet away from me.
"Stop in the name of justice!" Strawberry Shades bellowed.
A huge grin of delight spread across Hiro's face. "Strawberry Shades! You're here! I'm so happy to see you!"
"Th-that's not Hiro! It's someone impersonating him!" I informed.
"I understand," the hero replied. "Rin's brother would never hurt her like that!"
Hiro's lookalike suddenly appeared in front of him. Grabbing a chair that has fallen, they threw it in his face. The hero dodged it by stepping to the left but the attacker goes flying over his head. While in midair, they simultaneously grabbed his yellow cape and twisted their body. Landing back in front of him, they jerked Strawberry Shades forward causing him to spin. He stumbled back with his torso facing me.
Pulling up their sleeve revealed a sharp combat knife. Pulling it out from its sheath, they dashed toward Strawberry Shades with such speed that Strawberry Shades hardly had time to dodge. The knife grazes his cheek. Moving behind them, he knees them in the back which sends them tumbling to the floor. Strawberry Shades goes to punch them but his opponent speedily rolls to the side. Jumping up and moving away, Hiro's lookalike licked the blood of their blade.
"Mmm! Your blood tastes delicious!" they remarked with a lovesick gleam in Hiro's eyes. "I want more!"
"Thank you, villain! But your petty compliments isn't going to stop me from pummeling you to the ground!"
Strawberry Shades and his opponent charged at each other at the exact moment. The villain leaped up to his face in an attempt to cut him again. However, Strawberry Shades was able to dodge the attack. Holding his palm near their lower abdomen, a seed launches out. They weren't able to dodge in time and it smashes into their gut. That gave Strawberry Shades the opportunity to land a hard punch. The villain stumbled backward with blood dripping from their nose. Strawberry Shades gave them no time to recover because he dashes toward them.
"Your villainy ends now, villain!"
But before he could land a blow, a bolt of lightning slammed into the floor nearly hitting him. Glancing at the broken glass showed a tall Crimson Eclipse member. She wore a cropped latex jacket with shiny, skinny pants. A bandana covered her nose and lips. A band with a crescent moon was wrapped around her upper left arm. Behind her were three other Crimson grunts.
It's her again. The first member I met when I accidentally raided the hideout, and the one who sent those two villains after us during the Hero Festival.
"Akira-chan? What are you doing here?" Hiro's lookalike exclaimed.
"Please retreat, Toga. We'll take care of this!"
They all charged toward Strawberry Shades. I watched as he had to fend off five attackers all at once. It was amazing but most of all, it was nerve-wracking. Seeing him work so hard to protect me made guilt sink into my stomach. I was being useless again. I need to help him. I'm tired of being a victim.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Strawberry Shades fell to the floor due to one of the villains tripping him with his tail. A grunt with huge hands slammed his fist at his head. Luckily, Strawberry Shades rolled away in time but had to watch out for Hiro's lookalike's knife attack. He held his arm up and blocked it with a seed. Kicking his foot up, he hit them and jumped back up. Another Crimson grunt spit webs at him. The hero dodged, but that's when Akira sent a bolt of lightning straight to him.
Now.
Before reaching him, the bolt surges right. Coincidentally, one of her comrades was standing in the pathway and got hit instead. They let out a yelp as they got electrocuted by her bolt. The voltage was so strong that it caused them to knock out.
"Who did that?!" Akira demanded with fury. She noticed me standing at the side and glared. "It was you! You'll pay for this, brat!"
She sends a line of lightning at me. On instinct, I made it go the other way. But this time, I noticed that it was significantly more powerful than her little bolt. She kept on fueling the lightning toward me as she slowly closed the gap between us. I was struggling to keep it deflected away from me. The intense and sparkling line of electricity was inching closer and closer to my torso. Meanwhile, Strawberry Shades was too busy trying to defeat the other remaining villains. He was able to avoid the other two Crimson grunts that came with Akira with relative ease, but Hiro's lookalike was a little harder.
Crap. At this rate, I'm going to be burnt to a crisp like the other guy. Concentrate harder, Rin!
I held both my hands up to put more power into it. Immediately, a huge headache suddenly appeared. The ringing in my ear grew louder too and more sweat began to run down my face.
"You can't do it. Your ability isn't as strong as hers. Just give up," Akira said, as the force got stronger.
My hands began to shake, and it felt like huge boulders were weighing down on my muscles. The pounding headache intensified to the point where I was about to vomit. I tried my best to suppress my sickness, but my body was shutting down.
I can't fail here. I'll just become a deadweight loss to Strawberry Shades again if I get knocked unconscious.
Suddenly, something sticky stuck to my left leg. From the corner of my vision, I saw a white web. Within a split second, my left leg gets jerked to the side and my body tumbles backward. That promptly broke my concentration, and I watched as Akira's thunderbolt came surging straight for my face. I can't deflect it in time!
Her thunderbolt didn't reach me. Instead, it bounced off as if there was an invisible barrier around me and flew toward her. Despite catching her off guard, she speedily avoided getting burnt to crisps by rolling away. The thunderbolt goes crashing into the window behind her. Shortly after, three heroes come bursting in.
"We must hold them off until the rest of the heroes arrive!" the Battle Hero, Gunhead, exclaimed.
He immediately flew into action by shooting out a keratin bullet out of his arm at the Crimson grunt with the web quirk. The grunt dodged but since one of his webs was attached to my leg, I got dragged on the floor. The villain hurled a ball of web at Gunhead but it zipped away before hitting him. A fury of keratin bullets shot out of his arms. As the villain avoided and deflected them, that gave Masterbaiter, who I didn't even see until now, the chance to get close. With a powerful hit from his fishing pole, he sends the villain flying over to Hiro's lookalike. The speed of the attack was so fast that it ripped the web that was on me in half. He crashes into them.
"You forgot someone!" Akira exclaimed, jumping to him.
She sends out a powerful thunderbolt at him. But as she did, the heels of a twin-tailed hero kicks her in the face. That made the bolt miss and knocked her back. Static picks up a glass bowl full of melted ice cream and slammed it into her head, but she didn't notice that Akira's hand was readying another attack. Akira sends out a stream of lightning. However, it zips away from her and nearly zaps the other Crimson villain Strawberry Shades was battling. Within that split second, Static slaps her hand onto the arm that sent the lightning, and Akira's arm went limp. She went to grab the other when Akira knees her in the chest. Static steps back as the two of them begin to duel.
Meanwhile, the leader of Blackbird approached me. Her thin eyebrows dipped down over her steely violet eyes as she yanked me up from the floor.
"Come with me. Right now," she bluntly ordered.
"B-behind!" I warned as another web flew toward the back of her head. Her eyes glowed for a second. In instant, the web switched its course and hurled toward Akira.
"Why are you standing there? I told you to move!" Corvade repeated, clutching my arm. She pulled me along as we jumped out of the broken window.
"She's getting away!" one of the Crimson grunts exclaimed.
"As if! Move it, off-brand Midnight!" Akira barked.
"What did you say?!"
With the swipe of her foot, she tripped Static making her land on the ground. She took off running toward us. Static leaped to her feet to follow when another grunt blocks her escape. She had no choice but to stay behind.
Corvade and I ran through the street that was crowded with panicked people. It was a bit difficult to navigate through, but luckily she was here to help. Her movements were so fluid and smooth with lightness in every step. It was somewhat memorizing.
"Outta my way, Leftovers!" Akira said from behind. She hurls a lightning bolt at us despite the group of people between us. With her eyes glowing again, Corvade made the bolt bounce back toward her. Ducking down and using her back foot to propel herself, Akira zipped through the crowd. She was in front of us within seconds.
"You were the one who defeated Ruby!" she exclaimed. "I'll make sure to bring your head to Kiyoshi!"
Akira swung her clenched fist at Corvade as Corvade pushed me back. Stumbling on my toes, I watched Akira miss. However, she unclenched her fist. Swinging it back, she sent a lightning bolt at Corvade. Corvade dodged the attack. She slammed her heavy boot against her abdomen. It looked like it hurt because Akira grimaced. Reaching into her dark coat, Corvade pulled out a long baton and flicked the end of it against Akira's chin. Akira leaned back and threw her heel up but missed Corvade. Flipping backward, she jumped to where I was at and wrapped her arm around my neck. A sparky, yellow thunderbolt appeared in her palm that was inches away from stabbing me in the neck.
"You move and I'm sending this into her neck," Akira warned. I could feel slight electrical sparks flicker onto me as sweat stained the side of my face. Around me, spectators gasped in horror with their eyes widening in fear. However, Corvade's eyes showed no sense of worry or dread. They remained calm and collected. She was in complete control.
Corvade dashes toward us. I felt the tip of the bolt prick my neck before it zipped back to Akira. I broke free from her grasp and dived for the ground. Akira gets electrocuted from her own thunderbolt. Corvade slams the baton over her head dealing massive damage. Reaching for her bandana, she pulled Akira's face down into her knee. Then, she swung her baton to the side of her head. The villain flies into the cement falling onto her hands. Akira's hands were trapped underneath her torso rendering her unable to use her quirk while Corvade held her down.
"You're so annoying!" Akira remarked as blood ran down her nose.
"Tell me what you plan on doing with her."
"Why should I tell you? You're nothing but a pretend hero!" she snickered.
"It's best if you tell now rather than in solitary confinement. They're not going to be as generous as me."
Akira scoffed. "And I thought heroes were supposed to be virtuous. All more the reason to get rid of them! You're strong, y'know? It's a shame that you're not on our side. Crimson Eclipse could really use someone like you."
Corvade dug her knee into her spine making her grimace. "Cut to the chase. I don't have time to chit chat."
"Kiyoshi was right; you are a stick in the mud! Why can't you be more friendly like Hiro-san?"
That caught my attention. Standing up from the cement, I slowly approached her.
Thump, thump, thump.
"What...do you mean by that?"
Akira peered over to me with a small smile. "Your brother, right? I've been keeping an eye on him for a long time. Orders from the boss. He even made me go undercover as a hero!" she informed. "He was such a nice guy! He's always watching out for everyone, including me. He was a pretty great fighter. His quirk was amazing too! It sucks that he wasn't willing to embrace that small, fleeting, subconscious of his. I know he wanted to let everything go; to beat down the people who wronged him. But there was something holding him back..."
In the distance, I heard the sounds of a siren along. Turning around, I saw a group of heroes running over to us.
"It's too late," Corvade spoke solemnly.
Heroes arrived in no time. They apprehended Akira with ease, along with the other Crimson Eclipse members. The only one that escaped was Hiro's lookalike, and that bothered me the most. With a dangerous quirk like theirs, they can cause all sorts of chaos.
As they proceeded to cuff Akira, I noticed she was staring at me. The look in her eyes was dark and deep. It made a pit form inside my stomach and made my heart heavy. Before being shoved into a cop car, she said,
"Your brother really loved you, you know that?"
»»—- —-««
It's been a week. After that incident, we tried getting a hold of Hiro but he wasn't answering. We called his workplace too but they said they thought he went home. One day he was at work and the next, he wasn't We even went to Murato City to find that he was nowhere to be found. He was gone.
That last time I remember speaking to him was during my date with Iida, which was a month ago. I don't know why I didn't find his lack of communication strange; I just thought that he was too busy with work to talk so I let it be.
But now, I wished I hadn't.
"...What?" I softly spoke.
I heard the sound of the train leaving the subway. It rattled on the train tracks. Around me, people's footsteps vibrated in my ears. The subway was bustling with people today being that it was a Friday afternoon. Everyone was returning from work and school, desperate to go home to be with their families.
Mom, whose breathing was so rapid, tried to speak but she couldn't. She kept on beginning sentences and starting them over. She was too emotional to speak. But then, I heard the phone get snatched out of her hands. Shortly after, Dad spoke.
"She... We...were supposed to tell you when you got home but... We have news about Hiro."
My heart began to pound. Whether it was in excitement, dread, anxiety, or fear... I couldn't tell.
"Rin..." Dad said in the most gentlest voice I've ever heard him do.
"Hiro's dead."