Hero

It's weird that people see me as who I am today. A hero. Someone to be worshipped. Someone whose heart is as pure as the waters from the bamboo fountain in the temple. The younger generation of children would think I had always been brought up and treated like a hero. That everyone automatically assumes my fate was that of a holy sage. That I-

"Hey! Junko!" A young boy chirped.

Junko was distracted from her thoughts as the boy wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It's Junko-san to you, you brat. What do you want, Haru? You know you shouldn't bother someone when they're meditating!" Junko replied, looking at the boy with annoyance.

"Please, you aren't even doing the zazen! And you're not supposed to be thinking about anything when you're meditating. I can clearly see that something is troubling your mind," Haru replied cheekily. "What is it? You can tell me. What is it?"

"Nothing," Junko said sheepishly. "I'm not thinking about anything. Just meditating."

"They don't call me the human lie detector for nothing, you know," Haru said almost eerily. "I know all your darkest secre-"

"Alright, alright! I'll tell you. You're creeping me out. A human lie detector?"

"Yeah. So tell me what you're troubling over. Don't lie to me because I'll know," Haru smiled. "I also want to know your darkest secrets!"

"You're so weird. Be quiet. Now, where do I begin...?"

When a child is born, it usually is a very celebratory event. Family members will bear gifts to the child's parents to wish them good fortune. Priests were called to ward off evil spirits that try to take advantage of an infant's weak state.

When a certain girl named Hasaki Junko was born, it was not a happy event at all. Her family members didn't gather around and kiss her forehead. No one came to wish Junko a happy life. She was strangely abandoned in front of an orphanage, found by the matron's assistant when she came out to collect mail.

This, sadly, is the beginning of Junko's life.

Junko was petite and small, and what many would call cute, but to the kids of the orphanage, she was a freak. Strange things would happen around Junko. Plants would seem to bloom and flourish under her touch. She would talk to animals as if she could understand them. Even to orphanage cat, who hates everyone, likes her. And sometimes, the children would swear they saw her making pencils float.

Bullying was a common occurrence in Junko's stay at the orphanage. The matron and her assistants were nice enough, but they didn't seem to notice how the other children would pull on her long hair, prick her with arts and craft pins, pull obnoxious pranks on her, and taking away her share food. But Junko endured this, every day.

But everyone has a snapping point, don't you think?

It was a particularly cruel joke, where the other kids started by throwing little pebbles at her. At first, the rocks were small enough, so that it was just annoying. Then one girl got a brilliant idea. She picked up the biggest rock she could pick up.

And threw it at Junko.

Terrible mistake, really.

Somehow, the rock got deflected away from Junko, as if there were an invisible shield around her. Then Junko turned around, eyes glowing, literally.

Chaos ensued after that. There were rocks flying everywhere and children running around screaming bloody murder.

After the "rock fiasco", Junko was brought to a temple, high in the mountains by the matron of the orphanage. The monks there were surprised, although not in a bad way.

It was said that "a with glowing eyes would bring an end to calamity." The matron was hesitant to leave Junko behind but agreed to let Junko at the temple, as it was the safest choice.

The priest and monks at the temple raised Junko to be a respectable person, who has great morals, who only used her powers for good, and who will not hesitate to help anyone.

"Wait, what?" Haru said confusedly.

"Yes, it is said that I am a child of prophecy, but I am still waiting for that moment to happen where everyone will treat me like a hero." Junko sighed, with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Haru rolled his eyes. "You just said that you have morals. That's a lie if I've ever heard one."

"Hey! You should be respectful to your elders, brat!" Junko retorted.

Suddenly, the door of the meditation room burst open, with a monk shouting on the top of his lungs," Miss Hasaki! Miss Hasaki!" The man looked around frantically until his eyes landed on Junko. "Please come quickly! A mysterious force is causing something in the sky! You have to see this!"

"See, what did I tell you?" Junko said smugly. "Now let's go save the world, brat!"