𝘞𝘈𝘕𝘛𝘌𝘋//𝘐. 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘺𝘢 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

13. 𝘉𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘒𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘕𝘖𝘙𝘔𝘚 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘎𝘖𝘐𝘕𝘎 𝘛𝘖 𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘈𝘗𝘠

Y/N, 22

"Y/n dear, could you please take out my trash with yours? I told Ren and Riku to do it before going to school and they completely ignored me– those little rascals– and I'm swamped with chores..." Mrs Yoko sniffled talking to Y/n while scuttling around her apartment like a hamster. Y/n smiled pitifully, she had come up to her upstairs neighbour to return the washed plate– previously filled with delicious omurice– that Mrs Yoko had made for her.

Mrs Yoko was a nice, single mom in her late thirties. She was beautiful, with black hair and pink-hued eyes, she was fit for a model job– not a school cook. She was one of the very few people that knew about Y/n's identity as the White Rose and as a wanted 'villain'. Her mischievous twin sons, however, didn't. They were only six when Y/n's face was plastered all over the news, and nowadays she wasn't really talked about that much. It's been seven years since she'd disappeared, and the commission-issued search team that was supposed to be searching for her was one month away from being terminated completely.

Among those people who knew was her complete grouch of a landlord Mr Ito. He was a... 60-year-old? 70-year-old? She wasn't sure, he hated talking about his age like a middle-aged woman with kids. But he was definitely up there in age, with his grey hair and wrinkles. Don't tell him I said that he'll hit me with his wooden carpet beater. He was rude. And mean. But he meant well, he registered the apartment under a fake alibi for her and was remarkably amicable when it came to renting and bills. Especially when she was younger and just getting her underground life started.

"Yes ma'am! I left the plate on the kitchen counter, do you need anything else?" Y/n asked after grabbing the two bags of trash that were filled to the brim. "No, thank you so much! Did you like the omurice?" She shouted from the boys' room. "Loved it, thanks!" Y/n responded from the doorway. To say that Mrs Yoko was a kind woman would be an understatement. She fed, nursed and even tutored Y/n when she found out that Y/n couldn't continue her education. Even though they were only 16 years apart, Mrs Yoko considered Y/n one of her kids.

She shut it with her foot, picked up her own trash, and hopped down the stairs. "If you spill trash on my stairs I'll kill ya'. Aren't ya' twenty-two? Why are you jumpin' around like a kid..." Grumbled Mr Ito.

He lived in the apartment in front of Y/n's and he always kept his door open, whenever she asked why he'd lament about how grimy the air is in this neighbourhood and how he needs ventilation. I mean, he owns the building so he can do whatever he wants. Even if it meant tormenting Y/n whenever she stepped out of her apartment. She owed him that much. "Never too old to be young! Although maybe you are." She responded with a playful smirk, only to be met by a deadly glare.

She chuckled and pulled her mask up before leaving the building, and chucked the trash into the overfilled dumpsters. The neighbourhood was as noisy as ever. There were stray cats wandering about, people rushing around to work and students laughing in big groups while walking to and from school. It felt like home. After seven years in this neighbourhood, Y/n was familiar with almost everyone. That's why when she spotted a remarkably short, black-haired woman walking in front of her with a long white cane, she got curious.

But Y/n's eyes were very quickly torn away from the woman, instead widening at the site of a collapsing outdoor AC unit that was plummeting in the direction of the lady's head. Of course, Y/n did the thing that no one else but her would (or could afford to) do and bolted towards the woman. She towered over the woman's body with her arms held up to cover as much of the lady as possible, wincing when the metallic brick of an AC collided with her back and neck. "Youch!" Squealed Y/n, baring her teeth to hold out against the pain.

"Wh-what's happening?!" The woman turned her head frantically, her voice was filled with panic. It became abundantly clear to Y/n that the woman was blind. "H-hi! I'm so sorry, but this AC fell and it was about to hit you! I had to stop it, didn't mean to scare you..." Y/n huffed, kicking away the remains of the AC. "S-stop it? It sounded like you stopped it with yourself! Are you alright?" The woman's hand moved in the direction of Y/n's voice, and she touched her shoulder before moving to her neck.