[Muika Okura] Tomorrow Without Hope

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

The shivering child continued to let out stunned, hardened breaths as she stared wide-eyed in front of her, her face covered in splatters of deep, red blood.

She flinched once the pool of red liquid reached her bare foot, a started breath escaping her as she tried to back up even further against the wall she was already huddled against.

“P...Papa....?”

The body in front of her lie still, a gory scene of a man who'd just put a bullet through his head in front of the child that could be no more than six years old.

“Pa...Papa...?”

She was shivering, her small arms wrapped around herself as she recalled what had just occurred. Not ten minutes ago he was shouting...crying, scaring her as he held the gun in his grasp and waved it around.

In one moment it had all changed. One moment...he was alive and the next...this...

His blood was on her...

On her face, her clothes, her hair...

Slowly, she pushed herself up as she sought the comfort of the cool wall behind her, ever so slowly making her way towards the doorway, her eyes never leaving the body of the man that she once called her father.

She gulped, her throat felt dry and she felt a lump in it as she backed away.

She continued to back away until the body was no longer in her line of view, backed away until her small hand wrapped around the doorknob of the apartment. Finally, her heart pounding rapidly as she turned the knob and ran outside, ran down the stairs, and away from the building itself.

Before she knew it, she was at the riverside, struggling to catch her breath as she eased her way down to the water.

Quickly, in an almost panicked fashion she tried to wipe the blood away from her skin with her bare hands, tried to wipe it away from the dress she was wearing but the stains came out to no avail.

A few whimpers escaped her as she struggled to get the blood off.

–

She couldn't go back.

She didn't want to go back.

Instead, she trudged through the dark streets of the city, choosing to stay in the shadows rather than out in the open.

If she went back...people would come and find her...and take her away. She didn't want to go away...She liked it here...

She'd always been told orphanages were scary. She didn't want to go to a scary place...

Eventually, she'd found a small crook between a storage bin and another building. Squeezing herself between them, she curled up, wrapping her long hair over her shoulder so she wouldn't pull it in case she needed to move.

It was going to be a long night, she'd never slept outside before...

Still...It was better than going back to see...that.

It'd been nearly seven months now...

She could hardly believe it herself, hardly believe she'd been living out here on the streets of the city for over half a year. She'd been lucky enough to run into certain people that would give her food or talk to her, not that she talked back...

She hadn't spoken to anyone since she'd ran away, it was almost as if she'd lost her voice.

Deep down, she knew if she wanted to say something to someone, she had the ability to; she just didn't want to.

Thankfully, the people that were kind enough to donate food or money to her understood her gratitude with the small nods or even smiles she gave to them, and so far, that seemed to be enough.


It was a cold night, the stars and moon covered by the thick clouds in the sky.

She sat against the chilly pavement, once again hiding in a small space between buildings as she tried to sleep for the night. She looked down at her clothes, her dress still the same dress she wore on that day, her crumpled name tag from her grade-school still stuffed deep in one of the pockets.

She was supposed to have gone to school that day, she wondered if the teachers or other students from her class were wondering about her...she never stayed in one place too long now a days...by now she felt she was probably on the other side of the city...

That was fine though, she didn't want to be found. She didn't want to be taken away to a scary place. Living out here was hard but she was managing. It was just her, she was all she had to care about in this big city.

A small breath escaped her as she hugged her legs to her. She'd walked a lot today, it felt good to sit down and rest. The cold air felt nice against her skin, she liked it. It felt a lot better than the heat from the sun.

CLANG

She looked up, her thoughts interrupted by the sound of metal hitting against the pavement. It was a trashcan, slight rustling could be heard inside as she watched it move slightly.

Moving from her spot, she crawled over towards the bin just in time for a cat to shoot out and give her a spook. Her eyes followed the fleeing feline, watching it scurry off into the night as she struggled to catch her breath.

Shaking her head, she stood and dusted off her dress. It was late, she needed sleep.

She stretched, moving to rub her eyes just as a yawn began to escape...

That yawn was never finished though as two hands clad in black cloth encircled her person, covering her mouth with a white cloth.

“Mmph!” She struggled, but the strength of the person holding her was too great. She could barely move, her only option being to continuously kick her feet.

The cloth smelled funny...

That was her last thought as everything grew foggy, as her strength began to disappear despite feeling she had plenty only moments before...

Everything was getting blurry, getting darker...Like she was falling asleep...

“There we go...” The gruff voice of the man that had captured her being the last words she heard before her consciousness escaped her.

"From now on your birth name means nothing. You'll hence be known as, 613."

The small girl remained silent; only looking up at the man as she was restrained by another whilst being given her new identity.

The man huffed, "Damn child. At least nod if you understand." His tone was angry, as the girl had not spoken once since being brought her.

"Muika Okura. That name is now dead to you. Understand?"

The girl nodded once, albeit a weak, small one.

The adult's focus went to the one restraining the child. "Take her to clinics. Get her branded and throw her in her chambers."

"Yes, sir."


"613." The doctor tapped a pen against his chin before he continued writing on the documents on his clipboard. "Blood type: B. Birth date: Unknown." He looked the girl over as she sat, bound on clinic bed as a few cultists prepared her for branding. "Underweight, hair is a bit too long...we'll have to cut it." Her hair flowed down passed her shoulders, a bit too long for a subject that would mainly be used for experiments.

As he said that, he'd waited to see he'd get a reaction from the girl, a look of worry, a plea not to cut it...nothing though. The doctor scowled at this. "Freakish child... '

He jotted down more notes, filling out necessary blanks and boxes that needed filling.

"How about I handle the rest of those papers."

The doctor looked up in surprise at the young, caramel-haired man. It was him, he was one of the youngest on the staff, but he was a medical genius, so he'd come a long way. "Nomura." The older doctor nodded before handing the man the clipboard and walking off.

Seiya looked at the girl before giving a small laugh, his eyes lingering for a a little longer than a moment. "He was a mean one, huh?"

When the girl didn't reply, his smile faltered slightly before his eyes turned to the papers in his hand. "Muika is your real name I see." He looked back up to her and his smile returned. "Then I'll call you that, calling you by a number makes you sound like some object..." He approached her table, "My name is Seiya by the way, Nomura is my surname."

The girl simply watched him, not saying a word.

"From these documents, I see you haven't said anything since you were brought in. If it's not too personal...do you mind if I ask if you can talk? Not that you have to, that's entirely your own choice."

The girl didn't move, didn't nod or shake her head. She just watched him.

Seiya gave a sigh, but smiled nonetheless. "Guess you're not one to crack, I see. I like that though, it shows you're strong willed. It's an admirable trait."

"We're ready to brand her, sir. If you'd please wait outside?"

Seiya scowled, something only Muika had noticed, as he gave a curt nod before turning; giving her an apologetic glance as he exited the room.


"So you can speak." Seiya noted, speaking to the girl sitting in front of her. He'd heard her scream as the hot metal had burned a permanent mark into the flesh of her foot...as he'd just bandaged and wrapped it. It would need a little time to heal, as it would hurt for awhile before she'd become used to walking on it. "I see they cut your hair as well...a shame really, you have such a unique hair color." Her hair was now cut short, save for one longer lock in the back that was layered under the shorter layers.

"I'll be the doctor that attends to you personally. When you have injuries or are in any need for medical treatment you'll be brought straight to me. You can also come to me whenever you feel you need to. Is that alright with you, Muika?"

She gave a small nod, continuing to remain quiet.

After a moments thought, the young doctor placed his hand against the girl's cheek, lifting her head up to look at him. The smile he gave, it was one of understanding, "I know you can speak, but I won't force you to do so. If you don't feel like doing so, then don't. I understand...this place is scary and I won't lie that you'll be faced with hardships."

He watched her, waiting on a reaction. A sigh of relief almost escaping him when he finally saw some emotion in her expression. It was worry, but at least it wasn't some dead stare..."Just know, if you ever want to vent or even just sit it out. I want you to come here. I'll be here to listen to you, alright? Promise me?" He asked, his tone kind.

After a few moments passed, he couldn't help a smile from appearing when he girl finally nodded.

"Then I'll be seeing you then, Muika."

"Now, hold still." Seiya sighed as Muika once again jerked her arm away from him as he tried to treat her wound. "You were hurt, it needs to be treated."

The young girl simply glared back at him, not saying a word as usual.

"It's been a week already and you're still acting like this." He said, unable to help but smile. "You're as strong willed as ever."

She didn't like it here, she was always getting hurt now. She had to fight against other kids that were kept here and sometimes they even used needles on here that made her feel funny afterwards. She didn't like it at all. They'd been getting angrier with her, the other doctors, because she wasn't talking or responding to them when they asked her things they said they needed to know. So far, this man though, Seiya, hadn't been harsh with her...

Just what was with this guy anyway? He was young, not even a full grown up yet but he was still working with them...

Didn't he dislike what they were doing? He'd told her that just a few days ago and since then she'd been curious as to why he even bothered with them if he didn't like working for them.

"There." Muika looked backed down at her arm, now bandaged. She hadn't been paying attention and he'd taken that moment to treat her.

She frowned before moving her arm out of his grasp and back to her side before looking a way from him.

Suddenly she felt a hand rustling gently atop her head and a small chuckle.

She looked back at Seiya, a small frown still on her face while Seiya only smiled back.

"Don't worry, I know things are tough now and you hate it, anyone would, but you'll grow accustomed to it." He wasn't going to lie and say things would get better, that would have been a foolish thing to say. It would have been an obvious lie. Muika was young but he knew she'd know better.

"What is it?" Seiya asked, noticing Muika was now looking at him as if she were confused. "Is there something wrong?"

She just blinked before shaking her head, as if shrugging off whatever it was she was confused about.

That was new though, before, she'd simple turn away she'd never directly answered him like that before.

Seiya smiled. It wasn't much but it was a start.

"Well, if there's something you want to ask or tell me you can anytime." He told her, his voice gentle as he drew his hand back and turned in his seat before he be began writing something down on a piece of paper and sticking it into a folder. "Well now, let's get you back to your room."

Muika stood from her chair as Seiya did and followed him out the door, if subjects were caught roaming around without an escort they'd get in trouble and being in trouble here could mean punishment either as small as missing a meal or as big as death depending on the wrongdoing or sometimes just the mood of the adult.

So far, Muika had been escorted by Seiya every time and in a sense, she guessed that was lucky since he wasn't ever mean to her. Still, she wouldn't accept him so easily, for all she knew he could turn on her at any second and be as mean as the others here...

Perhaps though...Seiya was different from them.

"Ehh?! Who said you could play with us?"

Children were cruel, especially if there was an easy target to take out their frustrations on. Muika, among the local children, had become one such target rather easily.

"Yeah!" A second child chimed in, pushing the smaller girl down before placing his hands angrily on his hips. "Get lost, monster!"

"So creepy."

"Yeah, don't only monsters have eyes like that?"

"They're like that in all the storybooks."

"..." She kept her head down, her long hair providing a curtain to hide the fact she was on the verge of tears as she sat there on the ground.

She didn't understand.

All she'd wanted was to play with the other kids.

Her father had just waved her off, too caught up in his depression to really care where she went.

"Ugh, what are you still doing here?!" She heard just before a firm kicked was planted in her side, causing a yelp to escape her as she was pushed over onto the ground. "We told you to get lost!"

Biting her lip, Muika quickly moved to her feet and ran off; not bothering to look back as she made her way back home in tears.


Even here there wasn't any difference.

Even though she didn't speak, she'd still been around some of the other subject...and even as broken as some of them were she was still the one to be considered the monster. Perhaps her silence only added to that claim?

Rolling over on the bed of her chambers, she carefully clutched the splinted arm she'd just been subjected to breaking herself due to having disobeyed orders. It still hurt. It still hurt a lot but there wasn't anything more that could be done about it. Seiya had done what he could to splint and bandage it as painlessly as he could but it still hurt.

She got into trouble a lot, not only in the fighting tests she was subjected to but just from being around. Most of it was due to her not responding when spoken to, but she didn't want to talk...

It'd felt like she'd been here forever, according to Seiya, who kept her up to date despite not needing to, it'd only been six months.

Seiya...she still didn't get him. He went out of his way to be nice to her but why? He was a doctor here so why was he being nice? He was always careful when tending to her injuries, while the other doctors were rough and uncaring. He always smiled even though she'd never spoken a word to him.

She was a monster right? So why didn't he treat her like one like everyone else did?

Pondering this, she continued laying there; her eyes not really focused on anything in particular as she just lay in silence.

She'd probably be called for another experiment soon...usually they always tested weird medicines and drugs after fights. She hated those needles...and the stuff always made her feel funny afterwards. Why couldn't this just all stop?

Was she a bad kid? Is that why her life had been this way...was still going this way?

Bad kid...Monster...if that's truly what she was then she'd deserved this because of that?

Monsters don't deserve to be happy.

Monsters don't deserve friends.

Monsters are the bad guys.

Monsters are monsters.

She was a monster.

She couldn't be happy.

She didn't deserve friends.

She was the bad guy.

It'd been a long time since she'd cried, even when she'd had to hurt herself she always bit back the tears...she didn't like people to see her cry. They always found joy from it, especially here. They liked watching the monster break down before them. If she was the bad guy, the monster, she couldn't let them be happy. She couldn't give them what they wanted...

And so she didn't.

Now though, tears fell without control. She made no sounds to indicate she was even crying, they just fell. Silently. Only in private would she allow herself to cry...she was alone then...just herself. No one could see her do it if she were alone and so then they couldn't be happy...

If she could prevent them from being happy then she'd gladly be the bad guy.

She'd gladly be the monster even if she hated it. Even if it made her sad...

She'd be the monster.

"Why?"

Seiya turned quickly in his seat, his pen having slipped and left a long, black, ink mark along the surface of the paperwork as he looked back, wide eyed from surprise at the girl sitting on a rolling stool a short distance away, staring back at him with a half-lidded, almost bored expression.

He blinked, almost not believing his ears as his expression turned to one of confusion.

"Pardon?"

Muika blinked, remaining her usual, nonspeaking self for a good few moments before her mouth formed a small frown.

"Why?" Her voice was small, but her tone matched her expression in it's almost bored manner.

Eight months.

Eight months she'd gone without uttering a single word to anyone here, no matter how much she was punished for not responding; she'd never spoken...that was, until now...

"Why...?" Seiya asked, placing his pen down and turning to face her fully.

"Why are you nice to me?"

"Why I'm...?" A small smile crossed his face, "Why wouldn't I be, Muika?"

He called her by name too...all these months and he'd kept up his kindness. Why?

"..."

When he wasn't given the luxury of a response he brought his hand to her head, ruffling her hair softly.

"I thought I told you that already?" He chuckled. "I may be a doctor here but that doesn't mean I have to be a fan of everything that I'm required to do. For one, you're not an object; using numbers in place of you name is quite dehumanizing..."

"..."

She'd heard this before, he'd said this when he first caught a confused glance from her during a treatment; since then she'd been questioning it ever sense...not that anyone knew that.

"I want to be your friend, Muika."

Red-violet eyes widened then, that bored expression finally shattering into one of surprise at his words.

He wanted...to be her friend? What...?

She was pulled from her thoughts by a laugh, a light tint crossing her cheeks as her face scrunched before promptly turning away from the man.

This was the most expressive he'd ever seen the girl; slowly but surely...it seemed she was coming out of that shell of hers...but he couldn't be completely positive of that just yet.

"Oh c'mon, you were talking just a little while ago..." Seiya stated, in an almost teasing manner as he tried to urge more words from Muika, who was still turned away as she kept up her pouting act. "...Fine." He sighed, still smiling. "I won't push it."

Muika's eyes glanced over at the doctor, not moving to face him just yet before she turned her eyes away again.

Seiya shrugged, another light laugh escaping him before he turned back to his work. It was...kind of messed up now, but he felt the cause had been worth it. That in mind, he glanced back at the girl for a short moment, another smile crossing his face before he returned to his work.

She didn't speak another word the remaining duration of their meeting, choosing to return to her usual silence as Seiya worked.

Muika had spoken though and that...at least to Seiya, was a small victory...

"You think you're better than the rest of us!?"

No. In fact, she didn't think that at all...but simply because she wasn't, that meant she needed to talk to them?

Why?

Most of them would just end up dying, it was just a matter of time. She wasn't any different. It was a gamble, there was no telling if one would live for another day, another month, a year...

Besides, she was the monster. What conversation was their to be had?

"Oi!?"

"..."

This kid was annoying. Bothersome...

He'd just come along, and tried to talk her into a meaningless fight.

Didn't they do that enough already?

Before he'd come along, she'd heard him along with others off to the side as they attempted to keep him from her; don't incur the monster's wrath or something...?

A firm kick to her side forced her from her thoughts, the child responsible being the same that was attempting to gain her attention. She lay there for a moment, on her side, the force of the kick having pushed her over, before finally looking up at the boy; his fiery eyes were met with a unmoved, half-lidded, dead stare.

"Tch." The boy looked irritated; still angry she wasn't talking?

This was getting annoying. Couldn't he just leave her be?

When he received no response, other than the stare he was getting, the boy seemed to become irritated even further.

"Fight me! You don't look so tough, I'll beat ya' in no time...heh, some monster." He turned back to small group of subjects huddled in the corner of the room, trying to ignore what was going on with them, or pretending to at least, as their curiosity tended to get the better of them, their eyes peeking over frequently.

"You guys are scared of this!? Tch!" Clicking his tongue, he turned his eyes back to her, a scowl of frustration spreading across his face as she had turned her attention from him to the floor. "Gh..."

A quiet wince followed, barely audible as the boy reached down and yanked her hair up, attempting to pull her to face him. "Oi! I'm talking to you, damn it! I told you to fight m-gahch!"

Promptly cut off, the boy stumbled back, his bottom hitting the floor with a thud as his hand shot up to his nose.

...

...Blood?

"Gh, the..." Looking down at his hands the boy noticed he was bleeding. A grunt escaped him as his eyes returned to the girl, her dead stare no longer present, having been replaced with an expression of irritation.

The children in the corner watched as the boy was promptly, and easily, beat down by the girl. With every other punch a whimper of sorts tended to escape, scared of the monster, afraid she'd turn her anger on them once she was done with the boy.

Much to their relief though, the girl gave a quiet sigh, her expression returning to that of near-boredom as she looked down at the raven haired boy she'd just beaten down; he'd be pretty bruised up tomorrow...maybe even in a few hours...he should probably see one of the adults about the bleeding too...

Still...It wasn't any of her concern. He'd bothered her, tried to fight her, so she was only acting in self defense after all...


In the end, her hands had needed some bandaging...according to that man, Seiya, anyway. She'd overdone it a little, and had suffered minor injuries of her own.

Annoying...

All because of that stupid kid.

Seiya had informed her of that kids state, though she couldn't help but wonder why...she didn't care. He'd been pretty beat up, but again, she'd been the one to inflict his injuries so of course she knew that. He'd have to be kept out of fighting for a day or so at least...

It was his fault...

She'd clearly wanted to be left alone, and he'd proceeded to bother her.

542 was clearly a stupid....stupid kid....