Kuro i Shiro: 1

Prologue

The moon barely illuminated the cryptic night sky. Waves could be heard from the distance. Not a single star could be seen through the thick blanket of black smoke coming from the buildings in the area. The buildings he blew up.

The man stood in the alley. Ten miles from the carnage. Alone.

"YOU'RE GONNA DO WHAT," shirked the woman's voice to her brother.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'll do," the man said. His entire body was covered with a black cloak. The only thing visible were his lips and his pale chin. He held the phone to his ear. His other arm was occupied carrying a small child with ebony black haired.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIS NAME, AGE, BACKGROUND!"

"I do. He's six. His name is Ari and—"

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Irony," interrupted the woman from the other end,"To bring a random Mutant child and train—"

"He's not random," the man, Irony, said cutting her off.

He paused for a moment,"He's Eironeía's son."

The woman on the other end spoke slowly, as if not believing what she heard, "Eironeía's son....as in Alex Sketcherman's son? The elite agent who's been missing for over a month?"

The air seemed tense, now. The small child moved, tears streaming down his face from his nightmare. He clung to Irony's arm, whose eyes softened, looking at the slightly tan skinned boy. The boy didn't have a right arm.

"Yes," he murmured. "Eironeía's son."

"But wouldn't that mean that you've found Eironeía?"

He paused again before answering,"Yes."

"That's great! So when's he coming back? He was supposed to become my squad's teache—"

"He's not coming back."

"...Why?"

Irony sighed,"He's dead."

His sister's gasp was audible through the phone.

"D-Dead," she said shakily. He could tell that she was getting uncomfortable with the news he was giving.

"He and his family were captured. He was tortured before being beaten to death. His wife was chopped up in front of him. His son was beaten and tortured. At least, that's what the boy could remember."

His sister managed out a,".....And the boy...was forced t-to watch...all of that?

"Yes."

The woman choked down a sob,"W-what's his condition?"

"He is bruised, has multiple cuts, gashes and lash marks all over him. And... he's missing his right arm. I've tried to stop the bleeding, but his shoulder is going to need some time to heal. The arm was ripped off."

"Oh my god," said the woman,"Who in their sick twisted mind would do that to a child."

"Blanc."

"It's hard to believe that....something like this would happen."

Irony said nothing. Eironeía had been his best friend at the agency. All that was left of him was the man's son.

Ari.

Ari Sketcherman.

He had parents to be proud of.

He answered,"It just goes to show. The world isn't black and white. It's gray."