𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐝 - [ʜɪᴀᴛᴜs]

𝟎𝟓𝟒: 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

March 2006.

Grandpa Sano lets you and Chifuyu in after explaining that Mikey left something for you before he left home. The old man looked especially sad. It was clear Mikey didn't give the poor man a warning before running off.

"That boy always ran away during times like these," he tells you.

The three of you sat at the kitchen table. He wanted to chat with you for a bit. Both you and Chifuyu stayed quiet, letting the old man have his words out first.

"Manjiro... He's always been hard-headed," Grandpa Sano starts, "Too stubborn to ask for help and too stubborn to allow himself to be weak." He sighs, "This could be my fault."

"I trained him harder than all my students," Mr. Sano continues, "He was my grandson. I wanted him to succeed the most. My method, however, wasn't gentle."

Grandpa Sano explains that his goal was to have a predecessor for the Sano dojo. It was initially supposed to be Shinichiro, but he wasn't interested in it at all. When Mikey was only a toddler, he already had the control and agility of a martial artist. At 4, he was able to kick a bottle cap without the bottle falling over.

Mikey surpassed all of the older kids who studied in the dojo. Grandpa Sano took pride in him. So much so that he would praise his efforts and degrade other students. Comparing Mikey's talents to the others'.

As he talks, you couldn't help but feel how awful the other students must've felt. It's almost like Mikey was just born great. Those who worked or trained hard must've felt inferior.

I see now, you think. Mikey's perception of strength must've been built from training. And it was solidified at such a young age... No wonder he can be so arrogant at times.

"The only time I've seen the boy cry was when he was still a baby," Grandpa Sano says. "He never shows himself when he's vulnerable. Viewing it as weak. When his mother was pronounced dead and the doctors let us say our goodbyes. The boy ran away. I was the first to notice. The boy went out to cry alone."

The man frowns, "He couldn't hide his red eyes and nose. Even when Shinichiro died, he ran. I wouldn't doubt if the boy did the same when Emma..." The man starts to sob, "When he found out Emma was gone too..."

"He... Never cried in front of you...?" You asked quietly, in disbelief. The old man nodded.

Back in August, when Draken's surgery was a success. You were the first to notice Mikey leaving. And the only one who went after him. You could tell that was abnormal for Mikey. He expected to be left alone. You began to realize how vulnerable Mikey was with you. You wondered if you were the only person to see him cry at all.

As blessed as Mikey was with strength and skill, he was definitely cursed. A father dying in a car accident. A mother taken from a terminal illness. Both blood-related siblings dead and even Izana, who he wholeheartedly accepted as his family. A life like that... Anyone would've grown up bitter. Resentful... Hateful.

The boy who smiled and comforted everyone that it was okay was the one who needed the comfort the most. It was clear he tried to help himself. His whole life, he's been trying to help himself through this darkness he's facing.

After the fight with Black Dragons, he said he wanted to speak with Takemichi privately. You wondered if that was a call for help. For Takemichi to 'guide him' like a big brother would. Like he told you before.

"Yeah, I see him as a brother too. He's actually super similar to Shinichiro!"

Now that Takemichi left, how can I help Mikey now...