The Big Book

Somebody Told Me (P.1 and P.2)

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Chapter 1

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     The cold air seemed amplified by the concrete walls and barred windows - chilly winter air filtering through unsealed vents. Uwasa Kikyo sat in her jail cell and watched water drip from the ceiling to the floor, freezing into a miniature tower as it hit. She had been here now for five years, accepting the fact that she would probably rot in this prison for so long, no one would remember her. What had she done to end up in such a dreary place, void of human contact and decency? Then again, she hardly ever talked, so it didn't really matter.

     She knew something big was going to happen soon. She could hear the whispers. They echoed through the halls and wove their way into Kikyo's ears. The public deemed her quirk too docile to do any damage whatsoever, the cops neglecting to cancel it out with special equipment. Instead, they kept an eye on her and watched as she spoke to the wall. Or at least, that's what they thought she was doing. Suddenly, the whispers stopped and the guards were confused as to why Kikyo had stopped talking. "Oi. Uwasa. Don't tell me you finally died in there." The cop turned to see Kikyo gripping the bars of her cell door, the guard jumping back as Kikyo's breath rested on his face.

     "Jesus Christ, kid! What do you think you're doing?"

     "The shades. Somethings coming."

     "Uh, okay, yeah, whatever. Crazy kid..." the guard pulled himself up and sat back in his chair, leaning against the brick wall and flipping through a newspaper. It was unnoticeable at first, but footsteps had begun to echo throughout the dingy halls, inmates beginning to chatter here and there. Kikyo perked up and attempted to peer out of her bars, only to fall onto her face when the gate was released. The buzzing sound rang in Kikyo's ears and she wiped dirt from her hands onto her pants. "Hey! You're not supposed to do that! That's a high-regulation... holy shit..."

     "The kid is innocent." Kikyo stood up and stared curiously into the eyes of a face she had never seen before. Her posture was slouched with her hands bent and held to her chest, loose shirt fluttering as she shivered. "Who are you?" The man didn't say anything for a moment, simply crossing his arms and staring down the guard until he retreated into the break room. He turned back to Kikyo and met her bright yet dull green eyes and tilted his head. "I'm the man that's not letting you rot in jail. Let's go, kid."

     "Name?"

     "Todoroki Enji. No more questions." Kikyo was silent as she grabbed her stringless hoodie from her cot and threw it over herself, following Enji through the dirty, yellowed halls. Inmates clawed at her and cursed through their cages, Kikyo having learned to ignore them. As Enji walked, gates opened before him, Kikyo following like an obedient dog. The whispers had begun again and were warning Kikyo about this man. Telling her that he was dangerous, but a valuable ally.

     "Mr?"

     "What?"

     "Where are you taking me?"

      "Home." Kikyo stopped walking, the halls seeming to go silent as the footsteps ceased. She didn't want to go back there. She couldn't. "What's wrong, kid?"

     "I don't want to go back."

     "I meant your new home. My home."

      "What about my mother? What happened to her?"

     "They never told you?" Kikyo was silent and Enji took that as a no, sighing and motioning for her to continue to follow him out of the compound. He had already filed the legal paperwork required to remove Kikyo from the system and place her in his custody. He needed a fresh start and Kikyo would be his one chance. If his children and wife couldn't forgive him, he would have to make do. For now, he would have to make sure his new child was alright. She hadn't been exposed to sunlight in five years and it showed as her natural olive skin had become a sickly grey.