Well, They Tried to Kill My Brothers (Mamoru)

[Shizuko Hongo]

She stood up straight, looking at herself in the mirror as she slipped the white button through the small slit in the crimson fabric. She tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth seemed to sag, like they carried the weight of the world on them. This was a grand exaggeration, of course; after all, she had only been on the island for a day, so how could she say such things, right? She had not noticed the trembling in her hands as her pale hands travelled down the red fabric of the standard-issue blouse. She was sure that her parents would be having a fit if they found out that she was wearing cheap, cotton, clothes that were probably manufactured in Chinese sweatshops. In all honesty, she was too terrified at the moment to care. Her pale hands still shook as she struggled with the zipper on her raven-black skirt, which fell below the fair skin of her knees, thankfully. The last thing she wanted to garner was attention toward herself; if she had it her way, she would simply disappear and hide in the science lab that Samara had set up for herself while she was alive. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip at the thought of the girl who traded places with her to save her life for two years. She had to stifle the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes; those maniacs could have easily killed Mamoru too. She was grateful that he had lived, though she did not know what he personally had been through in the past two years. She forced a smile on her lips and pulled on the heavy, white blazer and let out a soft sigh. I need to make a good impression, even if I’m scared to death, she thought to herself, closing the door behind her.

Nameless faces and voices passed by her quickly in the hall. She had not expected the school to have so many students in it, seeing as the numbers of the gifted were projected to be small. She knew better, though; she had read many an article from underground newspapers that she had found online that centered around the gifted. She let out a soft squeak as someone shoved her aside with his shoulder. She rounded her shoulders slightly and continued to shuffle down the hallway, keeping her head down. She was not going to reveal anything about herself except, maybe her powers. Even, then though, she was not willing to “put all of her cards on the table”, so to speak. She reached behind her slightly and started twirling the bleach blonde hair that was partially in a ponytail holder. She always did her hair in a weird way, especially for school events. She knew the oddity would attract less attention, therefore less people, which made her happy. Of course, she did not want to be totally alone, but in a crowded school like Ashford, it was probably hard-pressed for her to find a place to recharge after social interaction. She received another rough shove from left and toppled into the lockers, hitting the side of her head. She shakily rose to her feet, bowing and apologizing in her native language. She did not look up to see the person’s reaction to her display of hysteria. Instead, she made a beeline for the auditorium, keeping her brown eyes hidden from all of the other students. She was sure that others were looking at her, but none of that mattered. She just wanted to see Mamoru and try to reconnect herself to the life she had once had, even if it meant they would have to live at a dangerous school that killed Samara and that could have killed her older brother.

She managed to open her eyes and stumble through the auditorium doors without much trouble. She slipped between two scarred teens, who seemed to be comparing battle wounds. The very thought made her queasy, but she continued her journey down the long aisle, looking around for a familiar mop of sandy blonde hair. She spotted someone near where she was standing at that particular moment and darted over to them, calling out her brother’s name. The person turned around and she saw that the features on the person were clearly female. While she was darting away, she stumbled into a dark-haired young woman who seemed quite dazed and disoriented. She noticed the shining badge on the girl’s blazer and nodded a little in respect. It was what her parents would have wanted, right? She knew she did not have to worry about their opinion anymore; she and Mamoru were miles and miles away from them and their traditional ways. She was thankful for that, in all honesty; she was not interested in getting married. She felt a pang of sympathy in her heart as she looked around for her brother. She wondered if he knew anything about the “plan” that the Hongos had concocted. The thought of her brother made her want to carry on to find him, despite her fear of crowds. She wanted to curl up in a corner and pretend not to exist, but she knew she could not do that. She was under mandate to be in the auditorium, since she was not injured and did not have a documented medical condition. She sighed again, squinting to try and locate Mamoru. This school is so massive… She heard footsteps behind her and squeaked, darting behind a seat and using it as somewhat of a shield, as if she was being attacked. After a few moments, she peeked out from behind the chair with fraying fabric and stuffing hanging out of the corners. The face before her was familiar, though she almost did not recognize it at first. Her whole body trembled as she rose from her squatting position and moved forward a little bit, a small smile crossing her face. She was a dimwit for not realizing who it was sooner! In excitement and relief, she more or less threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, squeezing him in an uncharacteristic hug.

“Mamoru-kun!”

[Mamoru Hongo]

With a note in hand, Mamoru found himself at the school's auditorium. He was told ahead of time by his so called father about what was happening. Mamoru had hoped that his sister wouldn't end up here, but it was bound to happen. After losing Sammy to a mad man and now having blood on his hands, Mamoru has some doubts about himself and what he was doing here. But none the less, he would have to keep her safe no matter what, he won't fail again like he did after that large battle. So he was dressed in his olive green jacket and fedora that was given to him by their grandpa, he went out to meet his sister once again.

It had been a long time since he had seen or even talked to her. He knew that Sammy and her were talking to each other back and forth. He just hoped that she was more healthier than she was last time. There was a large crowd of new students here and of all things, he didn't have a picture of her to find her quickly.

Passing threw people, he just hoped that she didn't change that much over the time apart from each other. After awhile, he almost gave up. Thinking that she might have missed the boat or their father did something to make sure she didn't come and just didn't tell him about it. This wouldn't be the first time that he kept something from Mamoru and it wouldn't be the last. He was about to turn back to his dorm when he suddenly caught in a warm hug from a person. But he quickly knew who it was before she even spoke his name. He just simply smiled as he patted her head. "Hey there kido. Welcome to school."

From the looks over things, she was much more better in health and she was just as energetic as ever. He hugged her back but only gently as he didn't want to crush her with his strength and lets go. "Everything ok? No health problems or anything?"

[Shizuko Hongo]

Ever since Shizuko had arrived, it seemed that everyone was always rushing to go places. Of course, she was usually scurrying along too, but she was usually slower than the rest, thanks to her weak lungs. She could not run as fast as her peers, since she ran out of breath quicker than most of them. She supposed it was a combination of a poor immune system mixed with several battles with pneumonia as a child. Thankfully, though, when she reached adolescence, the amount of sicknesses she had were reduced by a large number. She wondered if it was a side-effect of her powers, or if it was just her immune system getting better. Regardless, she was healthy, save for her odd habit of eating mainly Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish for nourishment. She had always eaten “like a bird”, so it probably would not have surprised Mamoru if she told him about her odd diet. With thoughts of her health and dietary choices aside, she set out to find her brother in the vast sea of faces that she wanted to hide from.

She was almost ready to give up after wandering around for what seemed like hours trying to find him. The footsteps behind her had caught her extremely off guard and her fight-or-flight reaction kicked in. She usually darted behind something or someone when she was scared or startled, much like a frightened animal. She saw the semi-familiar face when she peeked over the chair and was relieved when she recognized the features. It had been two years, maybe longer, since she had see Mamoru. She could see dark circles under his eyes, which indicated either poor circulation or, more likely, a lack of sleep. He seemed so much older than his nineteen years and she felt a slight pain in her emotional heart. She wondered what kind of horrors he had seen, maybe even participated in, depending on who was hurt. She knew that her brother was a very courageous person and that he would stick up for the downtrodden, whether it pleased anyone or not. She had always believed him to be a “real superhero” of sorts; someone who defended people by normal, everyday means instead of using superpowers to do so. Of course, he did happen to have powers, but, when he was younger, he had a tendency to use words and fists, since he did not have his powers yet. She accepted the embrace and pulled away after a few moments. Her one eye closed as he patted her on the head and she pouted slightly. She was seventeen years old, not seven! Regardless, she was grateful to see her brother again, even if it seemed that he had not been faring well himself.

“H-hai. Everything has been alright, I suppose. The people here are odd, but I can ignore them if I so choose. It’s nice to see you again. How have you been faring?”

Shizuko was sure that something was bothering Mamoru, but she did not know what it was. She shifted slightly toward the worn out seats, perching herself on the edge of one and gesturing for him to sit in the one next to her. She was secretly hoping to get a better look at him to make sure he did not have any deep wounds. Of course, there was not much she could do for injuries, but it would be comforting to know that he was alright. She was grateful to see him alive. She had overheard her parents talking about the massive casualties at night, when they thought she was sleeping. She felt horrible for the siblings of those lost and the families who lost their children. She hoped that they would somehow find comfort and peace, even if it was only in small doses.