Sora
yesterday
Yuki kneels in front of me, her hands holding my shoulders. She's on the brink of tears while mine have already fallen. I'm sitting in the square and Kaido's just left and now she is in front of me as the sun sets over the brick walls.
"You–" I swallow, shaking. "You saw Kaido– you heard him."
I never told her about Kaido even if I knew they were friends. Because even if I was angry at him for leaving us, I didn't want to ruin what he had. I didn't want to ruin his life no matter how much he believes that I do. I understand if she's angry at me for keeping that from her.
"It's okay. It's okay, I understand," she says. She squeezes my arms and her head dips, her forehead almost touching mine. It's like she's trying to process everything she saw and heard. Kaido's been her friend for a long time. I can't imagine what it's like to have your perception of a person flip completely overnight. Actually... I can. And it was for the same person.
"He's your brother, you didn't want to betray him, I understand," Yuki says again and now that night has fallen I can see just how hard this is hitting her as her eyes reflect what little light is left.
"He's not my brother anymore," I say, holding her hands.
Yuki brings her hand up to my face, looking at where Kaido hit me. I shut one of my eyes and try not to make noise when it stings.
"He won't hurt you again. I promise," Yuki says and now her processing has faded into anger. I can't tell from looking at her face if it's me she's mad at or Kaido. My emotions are all over the place right now. I hold her hands tighter and lean forward, feeling ore hot tears spill over my face.
"Are you angry at me?"
"No," she says, shaking her head. "No, of course not."
"What happened? Why are you here?"
She usually lets me know before she comes to the Slums and she usually never comes without Hina or Neka. Yuki licks her lips awkwardly and looks at the ground as if she'd never expected such a question.
Stuttering over her next breath, she just shrugs and has to put a fist to her mouth to keep from crying.
"I didn't know where else to go."
"Yuki." I hug her, but as I do a little silver light springs under her muscles like a metal coil giving out. I flinch backward, because I remember keenly where I've seen that before.
"Atomic?" I question, pushing Yuki back lightly, looking her in the face and seeing that flicker pass by in her eyes. "H-how do you have him? He can only take shape in Tenko."
"He can take shape in anyone with Shimura blood, apparently. I can't hear him unless he wants to talk. I can't even use him like my mom described, but he's here. My mom sent him to me cause I ran off I think, to keep me safe.
"Your mom?" But then I remember. I remember that Tenko has a sister he always talks about. He never told us his last name. He said he was orphaned very young because of his power and his inability to handle it. He told us that he fought in the war on the wrong side and part of his atonement was remaining in the shadows. I never would've realized until I felt Atomic like an aura standing at Yuki's side that her and Tenko–
"It's fine. It's fine because no one knows," Yuki says but she doesn't realize how obvious it is to someone who knows Atomic from afar. She starts to panic then, squeezing my hands so hard they hurt. "But everyone knows about One for All, and Ame–"
"What are you saying, Yuki?"
But she doesn't get to answer me. Someone walks up from behind me into the square. I didn't hear them, I wasn't paying attention. He grabs Yuki by the back of her collar and practically throws her away from me. She cringes against the concrete, breaking the fall on her elbows a few feet away.
