Author's Note:

With all that's happening, I wonder, what do you guys think of Hinata? When designing her, I wanted her to be eccentric, unique and sometimes unbelievable, so I hope my writing showed it! She ties herself into the story, being the integral part of this arc. Let's see what else I have in store for her, shall we?

Chapter 58: As The Sun Sets...

Child Of The Sun

"... Stupid!" A certain word was heard throughout the empty streets as I walked on, the path slowly leading me back home. No matter how much I tried to look up, my eyes just fell to my feet, as I took one step after another on the concrete path. "... Idiot!" Another outburst screamed out, which made me wonder just who was the one doing it. Doesn't she know just how disruptive her own voice is? Not to mention the fact that everyone in the streets would find themselves drawn to the commotion like moths to a flame, so it certainly doesn't do anyone good.

"Grr... Stupid Amato!" The scream was louder than the ones before, the voice feeling as though it resonated from where I stood.

"Eh?" A cry of surprise, I opened my sight to a pair of amber eyes and dark brown hair, short strands flying with the wind. Through the reflection of the glass, I saw my fingers curled up into a fist, my shoulders shaking slightly. I was the one who had been crying out, venting out my emotions. I was confused, the feeling coursing through me was new. Why am I feeling so frustrated, why am I getting so caught up over what Amato and his friend said back at school?

Deep in thought, my fingers dug out the item I wore around my neck, the one I always had with me no matter what happened. The very item Kiera was asking for. From under my shirt came a deep, crimson red stone, emblazoned by a golden piece of metal stretching across it's side in the shape of a majestic wing.

"Mom... Dad..." Gazing upon the object, I spoke the words as the memory appeared. This is only thing I have left of them, the one item they entrusted to me. Why do others always try to take it away from me? I can't give it to Amato, no matter how much I want to. I'm... scared, afraid that I'll lose the connection with my parents, that I'll forget about them, the memories buried deep into my mind...

Suddenly, an orange glare flashed into my eyes, prompting me to raise my hand to shield them from the sun. It was evening already. How long was I standing there, washed and swept around, immersed in my own thoughts and memories? I need to get home. With that decision, my steps began pushing themselves onwards, slowly, weakly, but surely.

"It's nice seeing you again! Even if it's only been a few hours!" His smile, that innocent smile, it felt so true, so sincere, without a hint of lie.

"Why can't I get that smile of his out of my mind?" By now, I was more annoyed than confused. No, I'll never give this to him, no matter how much I want to be his friend! If Amato wants to be my friend, then he should understand! My steps turning into stomps, it felt as though my body tensed as I tried to convince myself that my thinking was the logical one.

That was when I felt the wind shift, a slight rustle against my skin. Though small, it was enough to blow my eyes wide open, pulling my attention back to my surroundings. I knew what that meant, I had been taught to know, my body could sense and move as if struck by reflex. Without hesitation, my bag was tossed to the side as if it was a piece of junk, but, in this situation, the only thing I needed to save was myself. A split second later, my knees bend and pushed myself forward, my body putting all its strength into that jump.

Before my body crashed, in the glare of the orange sun, I saw a small, elongated piece of metal flying towards me, barely missing my left shin. The piece of metal struck the ground, and the tiny impact caused the concrete floor to rupture, sending cracks spreading all across. It was scarcely believable.

"Guh...!" Falling down, my body crashed, rolling along a few feet away. I opened my eyes to a ruined street, the concrete floor wrecked and broken, just because of a tiny piece of metal thrown against it. My mind screamed for me to move, but when I did, I felt my shin sting, as well as a wet liquid flowing down my skin. It turned out the attack did hit me, as my shin was ravaged, a cut spreading across the surface of my leg. The fall brought it all back, what happened these few days, the throbbing from my arms.

They're coming! Just like the day before! My senses screamed for me to move, urged me to hasten myself even as I supported my body up to my feet. On a side glance, the streets wasn't just empty like I thought, it was devoid of life. It made me shudder to think what happened to the many people who was on their way home. As night rapidly approaches, the shadow in the sky spreading before me eyes, I pushed myself to move despite the awful sting biting down on my left shin.

"I have... hah.. to get home... hah..." Plucking my bag from off the ground, my limping body brought me forward with panting breaths. My first thought was to lose myself in the crowds, that way whoever who was pursuing me would lose sight of their target, just as I did for the past few days, but my eyes flew from corner to corner, and not a soul came into sight. The solitude drove a weird feeling into my heart, I couldn't help but find myself slowly losing to fear. But, even so, I kept on dragging my body in the direction of my house.

Throb.

Who is it? It's been three days, and I still haven't caught a peep of who's trying to take me out! At this rate I'll just be a toy to be tossed around in their hands! My breaths formed white, icy clouds before my eyes at irregular intervals as I broke into a jog, each step aggravating the wound on my leg, the feeling slowly whittling away. Atop the rooftops, I saw no one, which made no sense. Judging from the trajectory of the projectile, the person must have been somewhere tall, at least a few stories higher than where I stood.

Swoosh.

"Hup!" Another sharp cut in the air, but this time, my senses were ready for it. Jumping to the sides with my uninjured leg, one tap on the ground with my free hand was all I needed to twist my body to another direction, leaving no chance for any backlash to hit me. When I realized yet another projectile flew towards me, aiming for my face right after the first one, a slight shift one momentum threw my body a few feet forward, and inverted somersault before I landed on my two feet.

Ba-dump.

When I turned for a look at the weapon used against me, the scene was a shocking sight, enough to jolt my heart into a slight frenzy. The ground behind me cracked, looking as though it had been smashed by a wrecking ball. In the two craters, a pick-like object was left standing, rooted firmly into the concrete.

What kind of monster is at the end of those throws? A single shot breaks the earth and shatters the ground! The last few days were just regular gun-shots, now this is getting ridiculous!

"Kuh, what grace, embedded deep into your bones as if in tandem with the symphony of death..." A disappointed tone came out of nowhere, the voice somewhat hushed, as if the person was speaking out from far away. "It seems our intel was right after all... No wonder Koenig couldn't get a good shot at you..." For whatever reason, the man behind the voice began trailing off, carrying on with his words. Even as shocking as it was, my steps never faltered, and soon, I reached the Residential District of Akiba.

Rows of houses seeped into sight, separated by walls two meters tall. The whole scene was as eerily devoid of life as before, not a single sound could be heard as I limped my way towards my house. There were no lights shining forth from the many houses as well, and they looked abandoned in the shadow of the night. I felt like a mouse driven into a maze, my hunter carefully watching me from the shadows, prowling with a crazed smile on his face.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

"Well... He did had to leave your life intact..." Instantly, the meaning of his words hit home, the confidence behind them painfully convincing. The sudden voice crushed any hope I had of losing him, making my body jump and sending my nerves to full panic. Desperate, I searched for him high and low, not to strike him down, but to better prepare for his assault. From his speed before, something told me he was holding back.

"but I don-"

Before his dreadful words could finish, just as I expected a fatal shot aiming for my heart, silence resumed across the empty streets. There was a sound, perhaps the only sound resonating down from above, muscles torn in an instant, the sound of a person suffering a hit from a gunshot.

"Gah! A sniper! Where is he?" The voice, so calm and collected before, instantly fell to madness, spewing out his words in anger and panic. But, the strange thing was that I didn't hear any gun fire at all, not even a shot muzzled by a silencer. A terrifying thought began to linger in my mind. Can a gun fire in absolute silence? In the deserted road of the district, I fumbled through the gates and onto my front-yard. The pain from my ravaged shin were sending waves of weakness throughout the rest of my body, it was only a matter of time before my legs refused to move.

Throb.

"Hah... Hah.. Hah... Have to.. fix the wound..." Along with my disembodied voice, mixed with its own set of pained, panting breaths, my vision flickered. The pain was doing a fine job of hindering me as my fingers searched the numerous keys ringing as I pulled them out, blurring their shapes out as I brought them to my eyes. The constant pounding of my heart was giving me a headache.

"Slam!"

My door was shut the moment I slipped right into the house through an opening just big enough for me. I had to be quick, nimble, there was no room for carelessness. Within what felt like a sanctuary, my body was thrown to the door, as if I subconsciously wanted to prevent that hunter from following my steps. Sliding down to the floor, when I raised my arm, I saw the tremble to my touch, so forceful, so wild, the feeling of fear was spilling out, no matter how much I wanted to push it away.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

I didn't care about what had happened outside, why my pursuer was attacked, nor was I concerned about paying back what that man did to me. All I wanted was to hide myself, to escape from the danger, to run away. Inside the house, translucent light beaming in from the moon through my drawn curtains, I sat there stunned, barely keeping myself consciousness with all that's happening. It must have been past eight or so, as the dusk of the night sky felt dense, and cold seeped through the windows.

"Guh... hah... hah.. grr..." When what little of sense returned to my mind, the throbbing of my wound no longer pounding down like war-drums, confusion was replaced with annoyance, fear with anger. To see myself in such a pathetic state, one I always try to avoid, was sickening. I always told myself; I'm different from the others, I've been through more pain, loneliness left my life cold and distant. The only way to keep myself from breaking down was to stay strong! Dammit! Dammit all! In spite and fury, my hand pulled out the same pendant I held on to a few hours ago. I felt angry, hateful and afraid as I looked at it, all at the same time.

"It's all your fault! Why can't they just leave me alone?" Following my train of thoughts, my eyes shut as I ripped the pendant off of my neck, the detachable chains holding it up separating itself as I did. As soon as I heard the click, I threw my hand out. Tears started falling, despite my efforts to keep them in, flowing down the side of my face. At that moment, I just wanted to see that cursed item disappear.

But, my fingers remained shut, tightened around the stone as if refusing my command.

"... Now, chin up. You're a strong one, so dry those tears. It's normal to cry, but never cry for the same thing twice."

The voice in my head, a memory I didn't knew I could still recollect, made me pull the pendant back, holding it close to my heart. That's right, it may have been the item that brought many misfortune upon me, but it was also the tiny little speck of light, a sun shining forth the light of the past. Somehow, staring into it's crimson center always helped me pull through the toughest times, bringing back the memories of Mom and Dad, from before they passed...

"Sniff... right, first's thing's first, I'll need to clean my wound..." Strength slowly coming back, I realized I was already halfway across the empty living room, making my way towards the first-aid. I've had help from before, lessons on how to protect myself. I don't need to throw away the only thing I have of my parents. Amidst the warm memories, the smile of my new friend re-appeared. Now I know why Amato seemed so approachable compared to others who came before me. He gave off the same warm feeling as my parents did, as if he would accept me no matter how I acted, what I did.

"Clank. Crink. Clank."

Metal sound, soft but sharp, rang forth from behind me. The sound of bullet shells striking the marble floor of my house. Immediately, the presence made itself known, right behind me, as if materializing out of thin air. No, more like he was hidden. Just how long had he been there?

"Well, a little interference there, but now that it's taken care of, we can get back to our business." The same high-pitched voice from before, speaking to me as if I was no big deal, nothing but an insect in his eyes. Whoever it was, he sure loved to talked, he wouldn't have spoke before killing me if he didn't. "It's not like we didn't give you a choice, Amato asked nicely, didn't he?"

Ba-dump.

Emotions stirred within me, chaotic and out of control. That one word, that particular sentence, was enough to start off the chain reaction. What did he mean by that? … Amato sent these guys to hunt me down? He wanted this pendant so badly he would have me killed?

"No... Y-you're lying!" I didn't know why I spoke out to him when I should have been trying to escape. Honest desire was met with the indescribable feeling of betrayal. One side of me started cracking down, while the other held on by the edge of the cliff, never giving in to the lies of this stranger. Soon, my mind convinced itself that it was all a lie, wishful thinking on my part. I wasn't even afraid anymore. In the cold, dark living room, I could care less about the killer behind me.

"He was done playing nice, too much effort, he said." As if driving the stake deeper into my heart, the man, with his sharp tongue, spoke out the words that led my mind astray. My shoulders shook with convulsions, my fingers curled into fists, before I knew it, my teeth was gritting down, pressing against each other. It felt like an instant, but it also felt like an eternity. My body bounced as my emotions peaked, and my eyes blew themselves wide open with shock and anger.

The last thing I saw was the light shining forth from my pendant before the familiar glow wrapped itself around my body...

I hope you're not too confused with who this is. A new perspective emerges from Amato's new friend from Japan! It turns out she's not just a normal girl after all! Just what is her connection with Amato and the Zanna Famiglia? Why is the Legacy Arm in her hands? And what exactly is she capable of? Keep your eyes out for the next update to find out! And don't forget to voice your thoughts in your reviews!