Butterfly Kisses Part 1

Chapter 21: Library Visit

"They're dead. I can't help with that." Mockingbird swivelled on her boot, ready to head back into the office building. 

"What about the scientist you captured? I know you know something so please just tell me already!!" Hiko yelled. Streaks of brown covered her face full of tears.

"I already told you I don't know anything so get lost. If you're so interested go read a book or something." She glared at the students one last time as the automatic doors slid open for her. While she was walking through them all she could think was 'It's for the best if you don't know.'

Exhausted from talking that much, Hiko sat down on a nearby bench, Kaiyo not far behind. 

"Maybe she's right." Kaiyo rested a hand on her classmates knee. "Maybe they are dead."

She shook her head in disbelief. "No they're not, I can feel it. Book, scientists...a book about scientists. No that couldn't be it. Although..." Random mutters, looks of excitement, trailed by disappointment followed. 

"That's it!!" She screamed, nearly knocking Kaiyo off the bench. "That scientist who we captured has to know something, he has to be in a book somewhere! Let's head to the library!!"

"Hiko...maybe you should just let go. Its pointless." Kaiyo turned her friends head to look her in the eye. The brown haired orphan shot up in a furious rage.

"Give up? Give up?! I've been without a family for God knows how long, I am not quitting as soon as it begins!! You can give up if you want but don't bother trying to stop me. I'll look for them on my own." Steam bellowed out of her ears as she ran in the direction of the library.

Sighing, Kaiyo took out her phone and messaged a close friend.

Kugutsu Sutoringu

If you see Hiko just say hi to her please

What happened? 

She ditched me at the office block a mile from school

Why?

Idk I must've hit a nerve or something

Just be nice to her and tell the others if you can

Sure 

I'm with Soraia and Koneko so they know too

Thanks. You're not with Okami?

No he's at the hospital for his checkup

Us three are waiting for him 

Oh okay, tell him I said hi!!

Sure

Gtg. See you tomorrow?

Sure, bye

Bye!!

Relieved and exhausted, she put her phone away, swung her bag over her shoulder and walked back home.

************

'Scientists, scientists...c'mon c'mon where are you?!'  The schoolgirl pondered over ten books before finally picking one. Skimming through it's decaying pages, she found nothing.

'James Watson, Charles Darwin, Philip Sharp, Ernst Mayr...damn it!! There's nothing about him anywhere!!'  Tears began filling her eyes again, her throat felt sore and she could barely breathe. Her arms shook mildly, her legs began feeling numb, her pulse quickened. Suddenly she collapsed after losing the feeling in her legs. Out of the corner of her closing eye she spotted a page hanging onto the book by a thread.

'Iwahada Kyoki... YES!!! Now all I have to do is wait till I can walk again!!' In a very non-miraculous way, she fell on her first two attempts almost breaking her foot on the first and banging her head on the table with the second.

'Ow. Okay Hiko, you can do this. You don't have your provisional hero licence for nothing.' With each attempt at standing up her legs started to work again. Baby steps sure, but it was working. Concentrating the energy she had, her wings began to spread from her back. Vibrant orange and yellow only matched by the glorious beams of the sun, her wings began to beat nearly as fast as her pulse. They fluttered only for a few seconds but they retracted as their holder fell to the floor again. Thankfully, a woman caught the troublesome girl.

"Are you okay? You seem pretty worn out." Green (and slightly brown) eyes shimmered within the library's somewhat stable lights as hazelnut hair outlined her angelic yet warrior-like features. 

"Huff, huff...yeah...thanks." Stumbling, Hiko recollected her breath.

"What's your name?" The woman asked, putting a gloved finger to her chin.

"Tell me what yours is and I might tell you mine." Her antennae said danger but her heart said otherwise.

Happily, she answered, "Haru. This is the first time I've seen you in this library, are you new here?"

Hiko shook her head replying softly "No no, I've been here for as long as I can remember, I just...haven't been in this library before. There's not been much time for me to research is all."

"What are you searching for ?" The hazel-haired woman flicked through a few books and placed them back onto the shelf in a perfect, orderly manner.

"I, uh...my family. Everyone else says they're dead but that just doesn't feel right to me; there has to be something. I have this lead but-" Holding out her hand, she placed a small, crumpled piece of paper reading 'Iwahada Kyoki' to which Haru excitedly took.

"Let's get all the information we can alright?!" The librarian clasped her hands together as she jumped towards the ring of computers. They thought it was full but luckily, a woman got up from the computer and headed to the door. Cold, frozen air enveloped the hooded maiden but she felt nothing. 

...

Was it even human?

________________________________________

Thank you for reading this chapter of Butterfly Kisses. I have had quite the eventful weekend to say the least. Me and a 'friend' had a massive argument, I apologised like the mature one only to find that she talked shit about me to her friends and now they all hate me without even hearing my side of the story. 2020 has really gone to shit hasn't it? 

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful time in this god forsaken earth. BYE!!!!!!!!!!!