Chapter Text
Oboro looks at the silver packages in the locker. His prize for clearing a seven of spades challenge, seven packages filled with seven days of tasteless rations. A small prize to die for in the real world, but the only way to survive in this one. With this he has a week of grace before he has to compete in another spades challenge. He angrily shoves the rations in his backpack and climbs out of the underground station. The night is silent. as the lights of the other arenas shut down one by one. As the bright light of the underground station behind him shuts down Oboro leaves the dreary place behind him.
At the first sight of an apartment block Oboro climbs back on his cloud and flies up. He scouts the windows until he spots a room with a bed. He has become quite practiced in breaking and entering with his quirk and it doesn’t take long before he can fall down on the bed in the room, exhausted, despondent but alive. Tomorrow can be better.
---
Oboro wakes up to the sun shining in his eyes and his heart beating out of his chest. The pounding of his heart the only sound he can hear. He gulps in deep breaths to calm down and tries to think of anything other than the lack of life outside in the streets. And then he remembers the people he met yesterday and his breathing slows down.
Splinter, the one with the nice coat who was part of a larger group. Oboro can go to them and after he tells them what happened to Splinter he could stay with them. He wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.
He takes a bite out of his ration bar, a small bite that he has to chew on for ages before he can swallow it. He longs for real food, some fresh vegetables, soy sauce and plain rice. Just those basics that you never crave when you are at home. Perhaps Shouta would be able to survive indefinitely on these rations. His friend is already living off nothing but jelly pouches and coffee despite Hizashi and Oboro’s continues attempts to improve his eating habits.
They went out for sushi just before all this happened. Hizashi tried to drag them to karaoke afterward but he was outvoted two to one. Instead they met up with Nemuri and went to the arcade. Shouta showed a surprising aptitude for the dance dance games. Oboro wouldn’t be surprised if the dance off between him and Nemuri became legendary in those halls. He wipes his eyes dry and chokes down the rest of the ration bar.
He’ll get back to them soon enough and until that moment comes he has things to do. There is still a child running around alone in this world and Oboro will not leave them alone for longer than absolutely necessary. What is that kid even eating here? No, he will find that kid and afterwards they will find Splinters group and together they’ll find a way to escape. He finishes the ration bar and he leaves the room to start his search.
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Oboro’s top speed on his clouds is around 120 kilometres an hour, but never has he gone that fast outside of his training sessions. Out here there is no traffic of any kind and he can fly as fast as he wants and for a moment he enjoys the rush of flying through Tokyo at his top speed. But as he drifts over the empty streets the joy dwindles down too fast. He spirals around the fountain where he met the kid and scours the ground for any sign of them, however even after spending the whole day searching he can’t find the kid.
As the sun starts to go down he takes a break at a rooftop overlooking a park with a small bunny themed playground. He might need to change up his search method. Perhaps looking for a lost child is more like looking for a feral kitten? Chasing after kittens does nothing but scare them, better to search for spots a cat would like to be and lure them out with treats. Kittens can be found in the low bushes, in old abandoned buildings and old abandoned cabinets, so where would a child like to be in a place like this?
With that thought in mind he starts checking the parks, arcades and the playgrounds. Oboro never before noticed how the most innocent places, those places meant for kids and families are the creepiest of places when abandoned. Take the museum garden below, it looks quaint from the air, but Oboro would swear that that rusted statue just moved. Wait, no it’s not the statue but something did dart away from those spiky rusted feet and into the museum. As night falls Oboro descents from the sky, lands on the path lined with iron lanterns and enters the abandoned museum.
With the moon shining through the windows his only source of light Oboro warily steps through the museum’s halls and rooms. “Hello!” He calls, “Anyone here?” but no one answers. Oboro wasn’t sure that it was the kid that he had seen enter the building and the further he went into the building the more unlikely he thought it that any child would want to be in here at night. He wondered if he should turn around and come back in the morning, when it was light. The hallway was grand, but the museum was dark and musty. The many irregular shaped windows caused strange shadows to drift over the stairs and in nearly every room the eyes of huge demon dolls followed him, it caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. One of the models had a broom in her hands and Oboro picked it up and removed the head of the broom so that it was just the wooden handle in his hands. With the familiar feel of a staff in his hands he ventured deeper into the museum.
The first floor was empty of all life, but when he explored the second floor he heard the dull thump from above him. “Hello!” He called again, “My name is Oboro! Is anyone there?” No answer. If there is anyone here, perhaps they do not wish to be found. It is with a loudly beating heart and a tight grip on his staff that Oboro ascends the stairs to the third floor. For a moment the beauty of the moon shining through the skylight strikes him before the oppressive feeling returns. He silently goes through the floor room by room, listening carefully for a sign of any other living being in the building.
He carefully stepped into the next room. The wooden floor groaned under his weight, refusing to mask his presence. Something loomed in the center — a hulking shadow in the moonlight. Slowly, Oboro approached. A sudden glint from the skylight revealed a massive grin of jagged teeth. He yelped and jumped back. A sharp thump sounded behind him. Instinct took over — he spun and swung the broom handle.
The wood connected with a small body. A soft cry followed, and the figure tumbled through the doorway.
Oboro froze. A pale, white-haired child scrambled to their feet and bolted.
“Wait!” he shouted, panic lancing through him. He chased after them, but his pursuit only drove the child faster. By the time he reached the stairs, they were gone — footsteps echoing into silence.
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In the morning light all those features that had made the museum creepy in the dark looked charming instead. Oboro stopped at the entrance with his offerings. “Hello! I would like to apologize! I didn’t mean to hurt you and I am really sorry that I did. As an apology I’ll leave three days of rations right here in the hallway! I hope to make it up to you and I would like to meet you so I will sit by the big metal giant every evening if you want to meet me as well. I won’t come in here again. Please give me a chance to make it up to you and to show you that I can be trusted.” With that he dropped the rations and walked out of the museum determined to do everything possible to make up for scaring and hitting the kid.
That evening when Oboro reached the giant statue he sees to his great disappointment that his peace offer is not accepted. The rations that he had left for the kid were piled on top of a note by the giants feet. The note had only one word written on it. ‘Leave’ And although Oboro understands that the kid wants nothing to do with him. It still hurts a bit that the kid won’t even accept the food that Oboro left for him and he cannot in good conscience then Oboro willleave a kid alone here in this world without knowing that they’re alright. So if the kid doesn’t want him this close to his home, Oboro will relocate the meeting place to just outside the gates. And the kid already showed him their preferred method of communication Oboro thinks with a smile as he unfolds the creases in the paper.
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Oboro stared at the letter in the shape of an origami crane left at the foot of the iron statue before he picked it up and with an excited grin unfolded the letter. It had only taken five days for the kid to answer, five days of Oboro leaving letters in more and more elaborate origami shapes with food packages at the gate of the museum without any sign that the kid was even still around. Oboro had given it two more days before he would move on and return on a weekly instead of a daily basis. As with the passing of days he had increasingly become convinced that the kid had moved on themselves.
The letter was written with a pencil and the kanji and kana were large and somewhat awkwardly sized but despite that it was readable and without any errors. ‘Oboro. You should take the food back instead of doing a challenge. I have my own food and I do not need your help. Tenko.’ Oboro couldn’t help but smile at the short letter. The kid had a name! And Tenko had responded to Oboro writing that he would need to do a challenge soon. The kid was worried for him.
He pulled out his notebook. He had prepared a letter for today, but that one was now no longer suitable and he chewed on the end of his pen as he considered how to respond to the kid, to Tenko.
‘Tenko! Thank you for your letter. Are you sure you have enough to eat? The challenges for food can be dangerous and I’d be happy to share my food with you. I heard that there was a big group with people that help each other and share food together. I’m looking for them and If you want we can go together. There might be more children there that you can play with and I would also really like to meet you. I would like to apologize again for hitting you. I hope that you are alright. Oboro’
There, shorter than his previous letters but it would have to do.
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‘Yes I have enough to eat and I’m fine. Stop apologizing. There are challenges specially for kids, they’re about reading and writing and math and stuff. I’m good at them and I can take care of myself. I don’t want to go to the group, they have no other kids. Tenko.’
Despite the rejection Oboro could help but grin at the letter. Tenko was alright and a very headstrong kid. But while he might be able to survive alone, it was no way to life for a child. Oboro was pretty sure that growing kids needed social interaction for proper development. Tenko also was familiar with the group or perhaps a group, were there more than one groups out here? And there were special child challenges other than the spade, clubs, hearts and diamonds that the adults could do?
Oboro grabbed his notepad and wrote down;
‘Hey Tenko! I’m glad that you’re alright. It sounds like you are really good at your challenges. I hope that your food is better than what we adults get served. I’ll be taking another challenge this evening, a spade one. I’ll be back late! Oboro.’
---
The challenge had been tough, but no one had died and he had no large injuries. In his backpack was his prize, five ration packs enough to eat for some time. All in all it had been a good night for Oboro.
The road was slowly getting illuminated by the rising sun and the world was balancing on the edge of dawn. Oboro passed the gate of the theme park, right as the insects started to chirp, and came to sudden stop.
On the front step sat a boy, small and white haired. He was clutching the letter Oboro had written.
“Tenko.” Oboro called.
Tenko head shot up, his eyes were red and he wiped his nose with his sleeve. “You’re alive.” He said with a small voice.