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Seven-year-old Hana Yamazaki is sure of only two things as she waits outside the double doors of the esteemed Umbrella Academy.
One, her parents are long gone. (She thinks that's a bad sign.)
And two, she really wants to open the envelope in her hand.
The front of the envelope is labelled 'PROOF OF BELONGING' in her mother's neat scrawl. It's an odd way to address a letter, which makes it much more compelling. She doesn't do it though - given some of the last words she spoke to her parents comprised of a promise not to. That and they swore this was her ticket into the academy for some reason. When a shiver rakes through her body following a particularly strong gust of wind, all Hana can do is hope they're right.
Once again her knuckles rap against the glass, the series of knock-knock-knocksgrowing gradually louder as curiosity gives way to desperation. Autumn of 1996 is proving to be one of the coldest she's experienced in her short life and, frankly, she's about ready to give up in order to find somewhere warm to rest.
Then it happens. One of the doors swing open, sending a rush of warm air into Hana's face as her eyes immediately lock onto the monocle of the taller man before her. The eye it encapsulates is squinted along with its twin in what she reads to be harsh judgement of her character, and she resists the urge to cover herself with her arms to escape his scrutiny.
"What is it that you want, child?" his accented tone is sharp with exasperation despite having been in her presence for mere seconds. It's ridiculously disorienting.
When Hana fails to reply immediately, the man sighs, "If you're just going to stand there and waste my time, then you ought to leave." He steps back to close the door, but Hana presses her free hand against the surface to stop him.
The fingers clenching the envelope shake when she holds it up. "This...is for you..." she forces herself to say in something louder than the meek whisper his suffocating atmosphere demands.
"Proof of belonging," he hums under his breath. "Your parents, they brought you here?"
Hana can only nod; although, she mentally corrects 'brought' to 'abandoned'.
He slips the paper from her grasp, expertly lifting the flap on the other side and sliding out the first document he sees: a letter. It reads as follows.
Sir Reginald Hargreeves,
We have reason to believe the girl, our daughter, would be of great use to your cause. As such, we hope that you can provide the utmost care and instruction for her at your institution. Within the packet is her birth certificate, documentation that she was born on the day of interest.
Tidings, The Yamazaki Family
Reginald glances up from the note and observes the skittish young girl for a moment before taking out the aforementioned birth certificate to verify what was promised. Perusing the page past the girl's - Hana's - full name, he locates the information he wants. He reads it again. Again. The process is repeated until the reality sinks in.
When it does, Sir Reginald Hargreeves laughs harder than he ever has before.
Because, you see, on the twelfth hour of the first day of October 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth.
Hana Yamazaki was born on the twelfth hour of the second day of October 1989.
A single day too late.
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NOTE! in short, hana's biological parents are kinda dumb and mixed up the dates. the first few chapters will be about hana's childhood at the academy because she's not one of them and that's! important! also, is this gonna be a five story? idk yet we'll see what happens!!!
