My neighbourhood was perfect. Boring, one would say, but perfect nevertheless. Terraced houses standing closely by each other in ruler streets, driveway rounded with neatly cut lawn and decorative plants everywhere—as if a picture put on one, endless loop. Nothing ever happened. I doubted any of the locals could recognise a police car at that point. Even the fire department was placed further so as not to distort the perfection of our showcase-town.
Everything was perfect. Expect them.
A family, unfitting to our precious normality. At first, they were like any other new residents. Quiet, polite and not exceedingly nosy. The husband was not native. He had narrow eyes akin to what people in the east have. He hardly ever showed up anywhere, and when he did, his features were always rough and worn. He did not have any acquaintances to talk to or friends to hang out with. A man with neither past nor present. The wife was from the homeland. Short platinum hair, sharp green eyes with a gaze that made everyone take three good steps back. Always hiding under that hat and sunglasses, she was just as much of an enigma as her husband was.
Not to mention their son—he was a genius. He had the demeanour of his father and the eyes of his mother. He was also scarily cold and uncaring for his tender age. He challenged and beat the mayor in a game of chess at the age of five, saying that he was bored by the lack of mental occupation.
In some sense, they were imperfect. They did not care about appearance. They did not even make an effort to be normal. They were extraordinary, they knew it and in some way, they made sure you knew it too. And they did that perfectly. They were the black sheep, the nuisance in our life. It was granted that they would not last long.
Even their leave was not ordinary.
Someone set their house on fire. An entire street burnt down because the firefighters were late, which ended in dozens of casualties. It turned out later that the arsonist was the same idiot who suggested moving the fire department to the outskirts.
The family left after that. Probably for the better. And nobody ever knew who they really were.
Published: 07/08/2022
I have no idea what this is. I was scrolling through the notes on my phone when I was bored and happened to come across this drabble-ish story, and my anime-fan mind just had to see the Akai family into the characters. So, here you go, another and unexpected fanfiction.