Things We Used To Share

Lost

The forest ground was soft as Hiro walked through the woods.

The moonlight poured through the leaves, landing upon his feet and hair. The clouds pushed through the sky, stars twinkling behind them.

Hiro always wondered where dreams came from.

Of course, there was a scientific answer to his query, whether it has to do with the brain, memories, or feelings of a person.

Hiro mostly questioned his own.

He would dream awful things. Dreams where Rido still plagued his mind and body, or empty dreams with nothing to remember. Sometimes he dreamt of the things he read about, sailing away or being a hero in his own story.

And then, every once in a while, he would dream about his family.

And those were always the worst.

He'd wake up feeling lost and broken, stolen away from his life and what could've been. Warm hands would vanish when he woke up, soft voices calling him in the night, laughter echoing within his mind.

And every time he tried to reach for the memory, every time he would graze it...

It would fade away.

Leaving nothing.

This was one of those dreams, one he had awoken from and couldn't go back to sleep.

He remembered a young girl, one who looked almost like his twin, and another boy who was a bit taller and more mature. He knew who they were to him, his brother and sister.

Where were they?

He remembered his father's kind smiles and his mother's laughter.

He also remembered the way they stared at his eyes. He remembered the smaller girl's cries at night.

Hiro has come to despise his eyes, to hate them with a burning passion that could only be extinguished by the tears of a God. He hated everything about him that resembled his uncle.

He wondered why his family never came looking for him.

Maybe it was because of that.

He wasn't that much different from his uncle now, was he?

Rido had killed his father, and he remembered finding his mother in a bloody heap with a smile.

And his brother, who tried to reach for Hiro before he was taken.

Did they stop looking?

Were they alive? Possibly killed by hunters? Hidden away from from Rido, or halfway across the world?

The silence of the night had brought on too many questions. Hiro was left with nothing but his thoughts, and that was never a good thing.

Maybe it would be best if he were never found, anyway.

What would his brother think of him?

His sister?

His parents?

What now? What does he do now? What's his purpose? What's his plan?

His eyes were as dead as the night.

He hadn't planned so far ahead. To run from Rido to...what? No one would be waiting for him. No one would want him.

...and his friends. If they knew the things he'd done, if they knew who he was related to, would they turn their back on him?

Hiro was being hunted by Rido, and it'd only be a matter of time before they found out or got caught up in it.

Hiro hugged himself, trying to hold himself together as he crumbled to pieces.

__________

"Excuse me."

He opened his eyes, blinking slowly as he looked up.

Where was he..?

A farmer stood above him, tilting his head with a groan. "C'mon son, you can't sleep in a haystack."

Hiro raised an eyebrow, before feeling something...bite his butt.

He immediately jumped up, a small yelp escaping him as he looked up. He froze, blue and red eyes wide.

A horse peered down as him, chewing hay languidly.

But to Hiro, it was like seeing a dinosaur, or a rare animal.

"...a horse." He whispered, a smile coming to his face.

He remembered seeing pictures of them in stories.

He walked around it in awe, smiling brightly as he examined its strong arms and long tail. Its eyes were brown and huge, two ears twitching atop his head.

The farmer laughed, walking over to him. "Looks like you've got a fan, Elfen." He said to the horse. "You can pet her if you'd like."

Hiro looked to the farmer, who nodded back in reassurance.

Hiro swallowed, reaching up with slow, tentative hands. The horse stared back, and Hiro placed a shaky hand on his head.

Hiro gasped quietly, slowly petting the soft hair.

"...Beautiful."

The farmer laughed a bit, before fixing his hat.

"Alright kid, where are you from? I'm sure you parents must be worried." The farmer said, walking past and grabbing another haystack.

Hiro nuzzled the horse, a wide smile on his face.

The horse neighed in surprise.

The farmer sighed, turning around. "Hey kid, I'll give yah a ride back to where you came from-"

He blinked, realizing the kid was gone.

"...uh."

Meanwhile, Hiro had stood upon the roof of the small barn, waving to the horse who neighed in response.

A murder of crows flew into the air, the farmer looking up at them in surprise.

"...the fuck."