The Wraith {MANIA Prequel} - BNHA

TWO

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ANPAN
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15 years ago...
The Arima Residence - Kobayashi, Japan

The soft back and forth chiming of a grandfather clock echoed through the hallway outside the door. The antique furniture was brandished with illustrious designs and curving stencil marks etched along the sides and the corners. It was the only remotely old thing in the entire house, but it was sentimental. Why it was so sentimental, one could only guess. Perhaps it was passed down from a dead relative or they had made it from scratch millennia ago from some tree struck by lightning. Maybe it wasn't a relic at all, and they just happened to purchase it from some junk store. Then it would have no worth at all.

Whatever the case, it was symbolic of something.

Every time the golden pendulum in the belly of the clock made the wood click every time it swung back and forth in slow, consistent, increments. The figure sitting just next to the clock, leaning with their back against the dark wood, could feel the soft ticking every time it swung. The small person had their knees up as they sat on the ground, their nose deep in the pages of a book, and a soft smile present on their face.

The child had deep charcoal hair, strung up into a short ponytail only reaching the top of her shoulders, and bright golden eyes, full of life and curiosity. Her skin was quite pale yet perfect with no little blemishes to burden her beautiful complexion. Her attention was entirely consumed by the book in her grasp. She couldn't have been more than 10, but she was smart and yearned to know more about the world around her, more than she could possibly imagine.

The ticking of the clock hiccuped in pace against her back, signalling a change in the gears that were turning in the rustic machine. The clock rang out loudly like it had struck a bell twice. A new hour had come. Precise and always on time, of course.

Just as the clock rang out, the doorbell chimed from downstairs. The little girl against the grandfather clock giggled to herself and stood up from the ground, heading downstairs with her hand trailing against the smooth wall. Just like the clock, the guests of the house were always right on time. She could hear their voices sounding from downstairs before she had even caught sight of them.

"I can't fathom why you can't just be early for once," a feminine voice said from the front door, opening it for their guests.

"On time is just as good as being early, Irisa. If you'd rather me not come at all, I can do that too." There was a slight humor in her words.

The blonde, Irisa, groaned. "Nevermind, nevermind," she said, somewhat exasperated.

The little girl with the dark hair skipped down the stairs and leaned over the landing's railing. A wide grin gleamed on her face as she saw the three figures in the living room.

There was a blonde woman with her hair pinned up into a tight bun and had on a blue trench coat—the girl's mother, Irisa Arima. Then there was another adult woman who had a long train of a black braid across her shoulder, dressed in a black turtleneck and jeans with a duffle bag across her chest. Her eyes were a brilliant blue like the sky of a summer's day. Her smile matched the girl's in its enthusiasm and pure joy as soon as they made eye contact.

Irisa raised an eyebrow at her before turning to see her daughter on the landing. She sighed with a soft smile. "Oh, Kimiko. Come say hi."

The little girl, Kimiko Arima, hopped down the rest of the stairs and ran to hug her. The black haired woman laughed as she picked Kimiko up and squeezed her in a tight, loving hug. Kimiko giggled with her but sucked in a breath as she squeezed her tighter and tighter. Irisa rolled her eyes.