Volume 4 POV: Third Person POV

In the beginning, there was darkness.

Then one day, there was light.

It was a bright light, one that pried the shut eyelids of Miyuki's open to see the world around her. It was another evening at the hospital, one that was filled with vast pain her chest, taking medication, and resting in the hospital bed. There were bandages wrapped over her chest where she had surgery to fix two broken ribs. Her ribs weren't the only things bandaged, Miyuki's nose had some treatment too after it was crushed under the strength of Erin Seijo.

Though it was three days later, she still remembered that day like it was yesterday. The anxiety, the pain, the destruction... it was all over, though. That was what she had hoped, at least. She recalls not killing the man who was trying to kill her, just knocking him out, so there was still some residing fear in her heart that Erin Seijo would return to finish the job. Miyuki wanted to be sure that he wouldn't see her again. The last thing the first year wanted was to get into another fight, especially with these injuries she has sustained from that last.

"H-heeey..." Miyuki weakly called out to the nurse in the room, waving a hand. The nurse would wave back, then walk over to Miyuki.

"Hi! How are you feeling? Have you ate anything yet today?"

"I- I'm fine... actually, scratch that, my chest hurts. I have a hard time smelling anything either... having a broken nose sucks"

"Yeah... good to see that you're recovering from that nasty fight."

Miyuki sighed, lowering a hand to grip the bottom of the bed frame, then attempting to pull herself out of the bed. Though she wanted to get up so badly, the pain in her chest told her to rest otherwise.

"Careful there! You have a few days before it would be safe for you to go."

Miyuki just laid back in the hospital bed, taking another deep breath. After gathering her senses and taking a short break, she wondered if the nurse had the answers to the necessary questions Miyuki needed answered. "H-hey... how's... he doing?"

"Who?"

"Seijo. Y-You know, the red haired kid in karate robes?" Miyuki explained, then stretching her neck out to look around the room for that boy. "The one who attacked me" she'd point to the hospital bed just a few spots down.

"Oh! That boy... we've taken care of him too. He's been treated for brain damage from the fracture in his head. He's been out in a coma since he's been here." the nurse explained, looking at the red haired boy that Miyuki was pointing at.

Brain damage? She hit him against that window so hard that he sustained such a life changing injury... would he remember their fight? Would he remember I-35? Manaka? Megami? She didn't know...

"W-What about the police?"

"The police? What are you talking about?"

"The police. I heard sirens before I passed out"

The nurse looked at me with confusion, then looked back at Seijo, then back at me. "I'm sorry, I don't recall hearing anything about the police getting involved. You may check with the front desk."

("Really? No police? Those sirens couldn't have just been a coincidence. I need to know... I don't want to be surprised by police men when I walk out these doors.") Miyuki would then grab the bottom of her bed frame once more, beginning to pull herself harder off of the bed she rested in.

"Wait, Miyuki, what are you doing? You can't go yet!"

"E-Errgh! GOD that hurts!" Miyuki winces, pulling herself onto her feet and looking up at the nurse. "You said I could go check with the front desk, right?"

The nurse just stayed quiet. They knew it was a bad idea for this teen to be up and about, but they weren't too far from the front desk, so the nurse would just watch and supervise.

Miyuki then took some of her prescribed pain medication, washing the pills down with water. Now that her chest wouldn't interrupt her, she could leave. The first year did just that, leaving the hospital room and carefully walking down the halls to reach the front desk, asking the same question about the authorities to the receptionist. Unlike the nurse, the receptionist had an answer to Miyuki's question.

"I believe I remember a Detective coming by and saying that he was waiting for Erin to make a recovery-"

"D-did they say anything about me?!" Miyuki accidentally blurted out.

"What's your name again, miss?" The receptionist asked, beginning to type on the computer.

"Miyuki. Miyuki Sekken."

"Oooooh! You're that soccer player, right? The- uhhh, the Titanium Leg!?"

Miyuki just stared at the receptionist, her face turning a shade red from the sudden embarrassment by this person she didn't know. "I-it's... 'Iron', not 'Titanium'..." Miyuki awkwardly smiled, trying to at least be considerate for this person, though she absolutely despised the nicknames.

"Oh- sorry about that. My kids go to your Junior High and they play soccer too, they say that their coach misses you!" the receptionist responded, typing up Miyuki's name into the computer. "I wonder how you got into a fight with Erin Seijo of all people. I heard he was pretty incredible... Anyways, it says here in my email that Detective David Anderson is waiting for the recovery of Erin Seijo before he makes an arrest. It seems they have all of the evidence they needed. It doesn't say anything about you, however."

Miyuki listened in to what the receptionist had to say, nodding slowly. This town is pretty small, so it wasn't that surprising that more people knew of her. The mention of that title still crawls up her back. The names are cool, but moments like these only prove to her further that people only know her for her title than her person. Why can't she avoid that? Is it even possible? If only she had thought about her decision before she accepted that coach's offer, then maybe, just maybe she would be known for her character and not her title...

That was the problem though.

What is her 'character'? It feels like there are many pieces to her puzzle missing, and those pieces were probably hidden under the couch cushions or other far away places.

"I wanted to see that ability for myself... you're not normal, Slippy."

What ability? What about her 'isn't normal'? For all her life she's been living so simple! ("What makes me special? Doing the bare minimum should make the flow of life easier... but no matter how hard I try...") Miyuki thought, then making a turn for the door and walking straight out of the hospital and into the open world. ("...people find me extraordinary.")

-.-

The open world was left for Miyuki to roam. This was one of the first times she could do that on her own, so it was a little exciting... but only just a little. Being out in the public world on her own felt more sketchy than it did enticing, because who knows what dangers are lurking around the corners. School is supposed to be one of the safest places in the world, but if that was unsafe to her, then the possibilities for the world outside of that only made her feel worse.

Sekken's pace accelerated to a brisk walk, her head turning at the slightest noises. ("Focus on getting home. I can finally talk to mother about transferring schools. That is my top priority and nothing else...

Wait, I could just call her. I wonder if she knows about what happened... she probably does.") Miyuki wondered, then pulled out her phone and dialing her adoptive mother's number.

...

"Come on.... Pick up"

... the phone continued to ring while she walked.

"Come onnnn..."

No answer.

"Oh, she's probably just taking a shower, it is getting late." Miyuki thought, pocketing her phone and continuing to walk home.

The sky began to fall to night, the sun setting behind the buildings. The darkness made the teen more unsettled than she already was, but she still had hope of eventual comfort in her heart.

The only thing that kept the teen from falling apart was that hope.

That hope wasn't in vane, because finally her house would be in sight after multiple miles worth of walking. With a sigh of relief, Miyuki crossed the crosswalk and then entered the front yard of her suburban house. It's only been three days, but she missed it so much that it felt like a millennia. "I could really go for some popcorn and a movie... maybe I can rewatch Sailor Luna, that ending never gets old."

Miyuki suddenly felt the chill of the nightly wind, goosebumps growing on her arms, and nerves that told her to hurry up inside... or either it was telling her to hurry up inside or to tell her to do the opposite: run away.

With this feeling she finally noticed five dark figures that were standing in her yard. Five... dark figures... all were looking straight at her. In some of the hooded figures' hands there were shiny objects. Some were gold, silver, steel, or even precious diamonds... was that her adoptive mother's old wedding ring she saw!? Miyuki sharply inhaled through her teeth, her feet frozen to the ground.

"H-Hey!?! Wh-where did you guys get those!?" Miyuki yelled, walking over to them quickly to try and snatch them away from the hooded figures. "What do you guys think you're doing?! That's my mother's!" Miyuki shouted, but it seems like she hasn't... gotten any closer? Miyuki's eyes widen as she tries to put substantially more force in her strides, but it feels like she is just walking into a wall. ("What the hell is going on?! WHY CAN'T I MOVE TOWARDS THEM?!") Miyuki panicked, her heart racing as she felt utterly defenseless to these anonymous entities. What law of nature allows someone to stop another person from walking forward?

After scanning over these unknown beings, she noticed the only one who didn't have a piece of her mother's jewelry in their hands. Instead, it was a plastic container. One you would see used for storing... gasoline... no.

"NO! WAIT, WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL, OH MY GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS?! THAT'S MY FUCKING HOUSE!" Miyuki screamed in terror but was completely helpless to move towards these beings. All of them would look right at her, uttering a chant:

"Hot Tamale, Hot Tamale.

Cook it once.

Cook it twice.

Cook it until it is done.

Hot Tamale, Hot Tamale.

Cook it in a boiler.

Cook it in an oven.

Cook it in a piece of tinfoil under the sun.

Hot Tamale, Hot Tamale.

All hail I-35"

The one with the gas tank sprayed the front of the house, then effortlessly tossed the entire can through the front window.

"YOU BETTER NOT! PLEASE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH THIS WEEK, I'M NOT COMING BACK TO SCHOOL! WHY DO YOU STILL DO THIS TO ME?!" Miyuki cried, tears flowing like a river. She felt like throwing up. What purpose did these hooded figures have? Why her? Why her? Was it this gang's job to make her life a living hell? When she had the confidence to face her biggest fear in the eye, now she is filled with terror unlike she had ever experienced before... and what was even worse was the response from the one who poured the gasoline:

"For Fun."

That same figure then pulled out a match box, opening the box and striking a match stick across its side. Never.. Never in Miyuki's life was she ever so afraid of a simple matchstick like she was now. She tried blowing with all of her might, but her breath just hit her back in the face. The matchstick still remained lit, then tossed into the gasoline... Miyuki's entire house erupting into a bright and furious ember.

"NOOOOOO!" Sekken cried, then falling to her knees and watching in awe, horror, and utter disbelief as these monsters managed to take the very last thing that she had left: Comfort.

"YOU... DAMN YOU ALL!" The teen thrusted her fist into the ground, driving it repeatedly into the dirt in a blind fury. She ignored the pain in her ribs, the adrenaline she felt then was overpowering her senses. All she could do was just keep throwing that one fist into the dirt. Even if her knuckles were bleeding, she still kept going. "I SAID I WOULDN'T RETURN! WHAT SICK PLEASURE DO YOU GET FROM THIS?! YOU THINK THIS IS FUN?! WHY DOES NO ONE LISTEN TO ME?! WHY AM I SO SPECIAL TO YOU?! I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!

I JUST WANT TO LIVE LIKE EVERY NORMAL PERSON!"

Miyuki's fist stopped, that fist then rested in the small crater that it formed. The hooded figures had already left her and the destroyed house... it was too late to save everything and everyone in there.

Miyuki didn't know that her mother was lying dead in the house. She would learn that was the case later when the Fire Department and the Police showed up.

The first year sat with her face cupped in her hands, legs tucked in like a ball. She didn't notice the differently dressed police man that approached her. He had a pretty extraordinary height, standing at 195 centimeters which was just shy of Mr. Taro's height. This man kneeled down to Miyuki, speaking calmly. "Uh, Sekken, was it?"

The sobbing teen finally dried up her cries, looking up at the very intimidatingly large man in a slightly different police uniform. "Y-y-yeaaah..."

"You can call me David. I'm a Detective for the New Tako Police Department, I would like to ask you a few questions. I'm deeply sorry for your loss, but your cooperation would be very helpful in catching those behind this."

Miyuki would nod slowly, her face hiding back behind her hands and letting out a quiet sob. "Okay..."

"I investigate the serial arsoning cases and other phenomena in New Tako. Have you seen these hooded figures?" Detective David would ask, pulling a picture out of his pocket and handing it over to Miyuki. Sure enough, it was those same five.

"Y-yeah... those were the ones who burned down my house!"

"Hooded figures like these are responsible for at least ten other arson cases in the past two years. It's not often victims survive from what we know of, but we have met at least two who have and claimed the same culprits. I'd like you to tell me everything you know about these people you saw." David would pull out a notebook, flipping to the next page and taking a pen from his dress shirt pocket to write down the information.

"I don't... know much about them at all. All I know is that they're from I-35, some gang running Maguro High" Miyuki would say, then going on to explain the past week to the Detective. She hoped that this info was helpful, because that was all she had left of worth anymore. Empty information. With this information, all she could do now was think and pray that her cries don't fall onto deaf ears.

Unfortunately, however, the Detective looked at his colleagues and went back to his notes. He then closed his notebook and pocketed it. "Huh, okay. We've heard a lot about gang activity in Maguro High from other students who have come to the police station. Your Headmaster denied each of those claims along with the rest of the schools in the district. We need evidence of illegal activity at the school before we can make an arrest, which we lack. All we can do is try to predict where those hooded figures will strike again and catch one, and for all we know, tracking them has been hell for us." That meant that their investigation was at another dead end. There was nothing to prove to the police that I-35 was in Maguro High or in ANY of the schools in the district.

Her mother can't help her.

Her home can't comfort her.

Her school can't save her.

The Police can't protect her.

She was alone...

Miyuki wiped the tears off of her face, halting her sobs because if she cried anymore, she felt like her eyes would turn into dried up prunes. This feeling of emptiness resided in the first year's heart. ("All I've been doing is staying low. I've been trying to remain average... live day to day peacefully and not getting in anyone's way. What part of it makes me so desirable to make miserable? Is it because of my cursed popularity? Is it because I am not very significant?") Miyuki asked herself. It all didn't make sense to her. She's asking herself the same questions over and over again, but what good does it do when they're not answered? It feels like she's lived the prime of her life in Junior High and now she only attracts attention that either embarrasses her or is trying to actively destroy her. Her past self was loved because when she played, she shined. Her now? She felt like she was more dull and vulnerable than a rusted butter knife.

It made sense...

Miyuki was starting to get that answer for the first time since it was asked years ago.

("Why was I so popular? Because I wasn't aiming for that to be my goal. I played because I was good at it, not to earn a title... and people loved me for my talent. Playing.. was... my character... and I hid from it.

They didn't want me for my title. They wanted to talk to me because I was unique... and now I've shoved them away and I'm left with this... empty nothingness.

I will earn back everything that I have lost... no one will make the stupid mistake that I did.")