Lost And Found - (BNHA Dadzawa Story)

Part One: The Cold

The cold. It filled her, ran up her spine shuddered down the dirty, black locks if long hair as rain soaked her to the skin. Her small, arrow-pointed tail wrapped around her knees, attempting fruitlessly to try and warm her, just as her unfolded-leathery wings wrapped around her body under her yellow rain jacket. The dark covered her, pushed her further into her tucked knees. She glared at the ground and sniffled, rubbing her nose with the sleeve of her jacket. Distantly, thunder was heard over the rumble of her own stomach. She glanced around at the alleyway she occupied, as she did many times already, looking desperately for any form of shelter. Not for the first time, her eyes trained on the lit up sign that housed the nearest gas station on the other side of the street. Her stomach growled once more, as if egging her on. She stood up slowly, her bones popping in protest as she lumbered out of the alley, holding her thin,soaked jacket closer to her body. Small horns poked through her locks of hair, holding back her bangs from her face, pointing toward the sky. The pitter-patter of her feet echoed across the unusually quiet road as she jogged across the street, glancing to the left and right as she neared the gas station, the sight of lit-up shelves stocked full of junk food alluring her closer, her mouth watering at the thought of eating.

The door slid open for her with a ring of a bell and the smell of overly-sterile floors met her sensitive nose, the sound of air conditioning attacking her ears, the bright crisp lights nearly blinding her compared to the dark outdoors. She reeled back, almost tempted to retreat back into her alleyway, before grunting and pushing herself further into the store. The bored-looking cash register attendant paid her no mind, too engulfed in the fashion magazine he was reading as he moved his comfortably-propped legs on the counter to the beat of the music playing on the radio. The girl wandered over to the first aisle that caught her eye, pausing as she looked up at the small bag of potato chips that seemed to look her in the eyes. Stepping onto her tip-toes, she reached up and grabbed the bag, flinching slightly after hearing the loud crunch of the plastic. She quickly flicked her head over to the counter, nearly sighing with relief when the attendant paid her no mind.

Ding. The girl froze, her diamond shaped pupils dilating before she slouched back down, realizing that the noise was simply the door sliding open, welcoming a new customer. She quickly ran to the end of the aisle, careful to be quiet, and glanced at the man from around the corner. The man's black boots paused on the black welcome mat in front of the door, and she watched as he kicked his legs back and forth, getting rid of the mud that had been plastered on the soles of his feet. He stepped off of the mat. The squeaks from his shoes echoed throughout the nearly empty store, the bored register attendant glancing up from his magazine every now and then before rolling his eyes and returning his attention to the paper. The man's black boots halted. The girl watched with interest as he stopped, his back facing her. That's when she observed the rest of the man, his dark green trousers that tucked into his boots with a dark gray utility belt, long, black hair somewhat hidden by a long, white scarf that wrapped around his neck and shoulders. The girl figured he must be a hero. He had stopped in front of the pre-packaged juice pockets, and he bent down to scoop a box of them underneath his arm before turning around. He paused. So did the girl. They made eye contact. His eyes had bags so big she wouldn't be surprised if he had a medical condition, and his unshaven stubble basically screamed 'I don't care about my appearance.' She gulped. He blinked. They both had their mouths closed, his in a seemingly permanent blank scowl, hers closed to go along with her blank stare with wide eyes. She stepped out from behind the shelf, potato chip bag in hand, and scratched the back of her head, casting her glance to the ground to avoid the awkward eye contact. The man scanned her up and down, much like she had been doing to him, and was probably eyeing her soaked clothing and thin figure, noting her slightly concave stomach and drenched hair. He arched an eyebrow. She cocked her head. They both stared. He scratched his chin and opened his mouth to speak.