Cracking his knuckles, he steps forward. A shadow falls across his face as he roars. "ALL RIGHT! TODAY IS THE DAY YOU ALL DIE!"
The children run in all direction, a few screaming their lungs out while others nearly trip.
He simply laughs. "You'll never be able to escape my reach! Once I get to you, I'll tear your limbs apart. Stomp on your skulls. Chop your--"
"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" He turns around to confront the woman who just hit him on the head.
The woman in her late 30s tries her best to maintain a serious face. "You're scaring the children."
"We're just playing! Look! They're having fun!"
"They're screaming, Uvo. Not laughing. Learn the difference."
"But--"
Ignoring his protests, she grabs his arm and drags him into her office. A small stuffy room with piles of files all around-- they could never afford to repair the old cabinets-- a pair of chairs, each oan the opposite sides of a rotting wooden table.
"Sit." She sighs, taking her place. "We can talk about your 'games' later. There's something more important I need to discuss with you."
"What is it today?" He frowns. "Did the mafia threaten to drop our budget again? I swear I'll--"
"Uvo, calm down. Going against them will only result in ruin. They're merciful enough to let us run this orphanage in the first place. If anything, we should be grateful."
"Grateful?!" He slams his fist onto the table. "My--" The legs of the poor furniture finally give in, earning him a harsh glare.
"Sorry." He mumbles. "I'll find a way to fix this table... promise."
A single kick from her and the table crashes into the nearby wall, bringing two towers of files down. "We'll talk about the table later. The budget is more important."
"The budget huh... I can just--"
"No stealing. No trouble. We are already in a precarious situation since you last tried to attack Mr. Hazama. You do understand the big favour he did by letting us off the hook, don't you? He works as a personal assassin for one of the elders. Personal Assassin. What made you think you could even take him in the first place?"
Hazel eyes fail to meet fierce gray ones.
"The only reason I didn't punish you was because he punished you himself. Healing you also took resources-- ones we couldn't afford to waste." She puts a hand on his shoulder. "Uvo, listen. I understand it was personal. But if he would have actually decided to kill you, what do you think would have happened to us? There would be no one else to protect us. If we tried to get the mafia's help, they would only make soldiers of all the children. You don't care about your own well-being but you care about the children's, right? So, for their sake, please stop getting into needless trouble."
"They're just so... frustrating. Looking at them makes my blood boil. What they're doing to our people--"
"I know. I hate it too. But relying on emotions alone isn't going to help. Alright?"
A sniff. "Yeah. I'll try my best. Promise."
"Good boy." She ruffles his spiky hair. "I'll set out the lunch. Call all children to the dining room, okay?"
"Got it."
As he steps outside, three small boys with matching brown hair and black eyes crash into him. "Big brother! What's for lunch?!" The three yell in unison, giggling right after.
"Steamed potatoes." The woman answers, leaning against the doorway.
"Again?!" The three whine.
"Hey! Don't push it! Be happy with what you get." Uvo scolds. "You know there are people out there who don't even get this much. Would you rather that you get to eat something good while the other children here starve?"
"Huh! No!"
"Exactly. We'll eat what we can afford."
"Okay!"
After lunch, Uvo decides to rest in his room for a while. He's the only one who has a room completely to himself-- him being the oldest around. As he crashes onto the bed, covered only by a patchwork cloth, his eyes fall onto the half-torn calender taped above his desk-- more specifically the fading red circle made over the current date.
A grins spreads across his face as he sits back up.
"I'm going out, dear. Okay? Be good." She ruffles the boy's hair.
The blond frowns. "Will you be coming home late today too?"
"The work has been doubled, sweetie. I have to work double to keep up." She smiles before reaching into her purse. "Here." She hands him something wrapped in a shiny colorful plastic. "Compensation."
His eyes light up. A short wave and she closes the door behind her.
A glint in his eyes and he runs back to his room. After locking the door, he pushes away the spotlessly white curtains and opens the window.
"You can come in now." He returns the grin of the dark-skinned boy crouching on the rooftop of the building next to his.
"Yo! Shal! Been doing well?" He immediately gets the blond in a tight embrace.
Laughing, he lightly pushes him away. "Yep! Doing great, Uvo! And you?"
"As awesome as ever. I just had the best lunch ever!"
"Oh! What did you have?" Shalnark asks, sitting down on his bed.
"Uh... There were way too many things. What can I say! It was like... each time I blinked they uhh... multiplied! I never even go to finish the food!" He talks animatedly as he goes to sit on the floor.
"Heeh!" The boy chuckles, sliding off the bed to sit with him. "I read that the more you eat the fatter you get. You must be magic then, Uvo! You can eat as much as you want and never grow!"
"Oh! Yeah... that's right!" He scratches the back of his head. "Sounds great!"
"That reminds me! I got a special chocolate from mama today. By the looks of it..." He takes it out of his pocket and holds it out. "...it's not one I have ever eaten. It's bound to be one of the super expensive ones."
Something brews in Uvo's chest as he fiddles with his frayed shirt. "Sounds great! I'm sure you'll love it."
"And I'm sure you'll love it too!"
"Huh?"
"We'll be sharing, of course!"
"Huh?"
"I already took my share. See--" He softly presses the wrapper. "--there's some space in here. The rest is yours, of course!"
"Mine?! But that's--"
Shal nods, handing it to the other boy.
Uvo examines it, dumbfounded by the mere aroma of the chocolate seeping out of the wrapper. His mouth waters. Is this what the rich kids gets to eat? The others at the orphanage would really love it... He hopes they won't fight over it though... A stronge urge overtakes him. He has never tasted even the cheap chocolates before, always giving them away. Maybe... he deserves to take at least a tiny bite out of it. His fingers move almost on their own, working to unwrap the--
"Don't!"
The urgency in his voice throws Uvo off, making him yell out. "What!"
The two stare at each other for a few moments, each as awkward as the one next to them.
Uvo is the first to recover. "Do you... want it back?"
Shal shakes his head. "No... it's just... you said you ate a lot for lunch, right? Shouldn't you save it for a bit later?"
"Huh? Oh, right! That's what I was planning to do anyway."
"Great."
Uvo pockets the chocolate, careful not to sit on it or have it slip out throughout the next hour. They talk about many things, from the new video game Shal is going to get soon, to Uvo's upcoming birthday for which he vehemently refuses any gift (having a great friend is enough of a gift). Eventually, the sky gets darker and Uvo realises that he's late.
"Bye bye, Uvo." Shal's voice cracks as he gives him a hug.
"Oh come on now! You talk like we're never gonna meet again."
"Yeah. You're... right. Sorry." He smiles sheepishly, pulling out.
"Alright, bye Shal!" Uvo grins, waving before he jumps out the window and onto the roof.
"Be... careful..."
"What? You said something?"
"Nothing! Bye!" A stray tear makes its way down his cheek as he closes the window and yanks the curtains together.
Uvo stands, facing the giant concrete wall seperating the two districts. The people in one area are easily able to cross to the other, while the people in the other area are to be shooted on sight if caught too near the wall.
He snorts. Like they can stop that many people from doing what they want. Like everything and everyone in Meteor City, the wall has many cracks and holes. Most are big and turned into heavily patrolled gates, used only by the more privileged ones. Others are small enough for only one adult to pass at a time. These are usually patched up very quickly. Some, however, very few, are too small even for that. They are only big enough for... children.
The adults, usually drunk and delusional low-ranking mafia dogs, love trying to cross the wall and steal something from the more financially stable of the bunch. Due to this, the children have it drilled into their heads...
"Even catching a sight of the wall places you in misfortune's lap." Uvo murmurs, crawling through the small hole made at an unknown time by an unknown person.
He silently thanks that unknown person as he stands up, dusting his shorts.
As he runs through the market on his way back, the strange feeling gnaws at the pit of his stomach again. His eyes drift to his pocket. Could he... Sure but... should he?
Soon, he reaches the end of the market and his will breaks. He takes the chocolate out of his pocket. His hands tremble as he unwraps the wrapping.
Here it is-- the best bite of his life-- right on the palm of his hand... his own hand. But wait, there's something else... a note?
He carefully takes it out and unfolds the piece of paper. Familiar symbols... words. He sees them everywhere all the time. Written in the piles of files she stores. Written on leather bound pages found in certain stores. They are even on the wrapper itself. However, he can't...
His brows furrow. He can't read. He never even tried to learn how to read. He does recognise the symbol at the end though. A dot at the bottom. A vertical line at the top. He doesn't know what it's called but he knows what it means.
Is something wrong? What? How? Where? When?
Stuffing it back in his pockets, he start running again. The orphanage is closer so he'll start there. Adrenaline burning in his veins. Heart beat loud enough to burst his ears. His dread grows with each step he takes.
The smell of smoke halts him in his tracks... smoke? Plastic gets burnt all the time during chilly nights. But it isn't a cold night and the smell definitely isn't that of plastic. Could it be...?
Shaking his head, he starts running again. Only a little more until he--
"No." His voice comes out as a horrified whisper. "Not... possible... "
His stomach twists and turns. His legs turn into jelly, knees threatening to buckle under his weight. Putting a hand over his heart, he forces himself to calm down. Sweat drops to the ground. His breath is nowhere to be found.
"Move." He croaks. His body refuses to.
"MOVE!" Uncontrollable tears streaming down his face, he runs into the smoking building.
His vision spins. He wants to puke. He kicks the door open, his lungs tearing apart to call out all the names.
Only one responds. "Big brother!" A distant cry.
His clouded eyes scan the environment. Smoke. Smoke. Smoke. Smoke. It takes all of his will to not run back out.
"Big brother!" The voice calls out again and he dashes in that direction.
A brown haired boy struggling to get up. His clothes are even more ragged than before, his face red. A painful fit of coughs and injuries all over. Yet, Uvo cannot spare a second. He'll take him straight to a doctor. He'll sell his own life away to save his.
"Are you okay?" He kneels down. "Where is everyone?"
A reply of words slurred together but Uvo catches on. There's no hope left for the others. They are all... dead.
"But I- I was- just this morning we were- no way... it can't be possible..."
A loud crash. Probably a piece of furniture collapsing.
He snaps out of the trance and hoists the boy up into his arms. There's still a life he can save. It takes a while-- too long-- but he manages to get out.
"The doctor's office isn't too far away." He comforts him as he runs, carrying the boy in his arms. "We'll make it their in time. Just hold on."
"M- money?"
"DON'T YOU DARE CARE ABOUT THAT! I'LL DO ANYTHING! EVERYTHING! YOU HEAR ME! I WON'T LET YOU DIE--"
"Aw! How cute!" A blunt pain in his back and he's shoved to the ground, the boy grabbed out of his reach.
He turns his head around to identify his attacker. A heavily build man with slicked-back gray hair and a cigar dangling from his mouth-- a classic mafia dog. Dogs-- he corrects himself. There are more behind him. His eyes land on the ratty-looking man glaring at him from behind his loser friends.
"Revenge, huh?" He forces himself to grin, getting back up on his feet. "I don't have time for your shit."
"Oh?" The ones at the front proudly crack their knuckles.
He has never been the scrawny type. Even against a bunch with that much brawn, he can win. Except...
"Resist and this knife goes through his throat." One of them has a tight arm around the boy, the other hand brandishing a knife.
Uvo scowls. "Are you the ones who set fire to orphanage?" His steady voice surprises even himself.
"Huh?" The tallest of them steps forward. "Unfortunately not, brat. Would've have loved to thou--"
Uvo's knuckles come out bloody.
The man clutches his nose, a pulsing nerve on his temple. "I believe we told you not to resist. We're gonna make you pay double now, punk. Get ready to taste hell!" He charges, not towards him but the captured boy, a sickening crunch and a scream echoing all around.
"Hey! Pick on someone your size, you coward! You're--" Blood fills up his mouth, pain building up in his chest as he falls to the ground with a thud. Something blunt-- a shoe, he recognises this time-- slams into his back, getting a wince out of him.
"Let's play a game, punk." The soles dig into his spine. "For every injury you gave my friend, you get three. For everytime you resist, your punishment gets doubled and your little friend over there gets a bone broken. Sounds good?"
"Kotaro..." Uvo mumbles as he finally manages to crawl over to the lifeless body on the ground. "I'm sorry I was too late... too weak to protect you."
Tears fall to the ground, mixing with the ever-growing pool of blood.
He's dead. They're all dead. He was too weak.
[A/N: I swear I'm not the devil.
Lilphantomtroupelady: Thank you :)) I would love to see your take on this!
Mona Klein: Thanks a lot! :D ]