I grew up in a relatively normal household. A sister, mother, and father. We were all close.
My father, Takumi Fukushima, was the big money maker of the family. He worked as the manager of this massive media company. He was quiet. He always seemed relaxed but knew exactly what was going on. He was 56 years old.
My mother, Misaki Fukushima, was caring but could be a little strict at times. She worked as an english teacher. She was always stressed about the workload because other teachers sometimes put work onto her. Sticking up for herself was not her strong suit. She was 54 years old, but looked in her 30's.
My sister, Hana Fukushima, was a sophomore college student. 19. She ended up going to a college in the United States. At the time though, she was on break so she was back home. She was fluent in like five languages so it was easy for her to get a job. She was a genius. Some even called her a prodigy when it comes to learning. She wasn't good at sharing the money she made through this intelligence though. She had two horns on her head at all times and couldn't remove them. It took a while for her to embrace them.
All of us really cared for each other.
That broke apart. Fast.
This is how.
—
Misaki: "Haruka! You are gonna be late for school." She was cooking breakfast.
Silence.
Misaki: "Hana could you-" She turned to Hana, who was already going up the stairs.
Hana: "Haru." She slapped my cheek lightly a few times. "You have to get up."
Haruka: "I don't wanna go to school..." I was 12 at this point in time.
Hana: "Alright..." She picked me up and put me down. She crouched down a little. "Haru, you gotta get ready or mom is gonna get mad. It'll be fine."
Haruka: "It's so boring..." I groaned. Hana walked downstairs.
I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and eventually headed downstairs to eat.
Father went out of his room, still buttoning his suit.
Takumi: "Oh bacon and eggs for breakfast? Lucky you!" He patted my head before grabbing a bagel and cream cheese off the counter that my mother prepared and put it in his mouth. He did his tie as he talked, muffled. "I got like a minute left before I have to go. You do good at school. Okay, Haru?"
Haruka: "Okay!" I ate my breakfast fast.
Hana: "You forgot your coffee!" She handed him a cup of coffee and he quickly drank it all.
Takumi: "Thank you that could've been bad if I forgot. I'll probably be home late tonight I got a lot of things to do." He kisses mother.
Misaki: "Now get your coffee breath to work." They laughed a little. My mother laughed more than my father. "Alright you gotta get to school- uh Hana could you bring him there?"
Hana: "Sure."
Misaki: "Alright." She put bread in the toaster.
Haruka: "You too." We left the house and started walking to the school.
Hana: "What are you learning right now?"
Haruka: "Kanji."
Hana: "Still? I wish I was doing that... you can't even imagine the things I learn. It's so much work that it gets exhausting sometimes."
Haruka: "Even for you?"
Hana: "Yes, even for me."
Haruka: "But aren't you a progidy? Progi..."
Hana: "Prodigy. That's what they all call me. It's annoying!" She took out two bags of snacks and handed me one. "Here."
My eyes lit up a bit. I loved snacks.
Eventually we reached the school. I was hesitant to go inside it. Hana pushed me past the school gates.
Hana: "Just have fun."
This wasn't my first day at school. It was just boring. I'd also get teased and bullied by some people for not awakening my power yet.
Haruka: I looked down for a bit before looking back up at her. "Okay!"
—
I was playing with a fidget toy.
"Look at Haruka..." Three kids my age were surrounding me and laugh. They start making fun of me.
"Look at his weird eyes!"
"His hairs messy today too."
"I'd feel bad to be his parents"
More people join the group. and also start making fun of me. Teachers try to break up the group.
I start coughing. It starts becoming a more violent cough. Light suddenly shoots out of my eyes and mouth. The ground shakes. My face gets directed to the sky, the beam burning the wall, but not setting it on fire. It also burns a kids hand. They all start screaming. The teachers quickly try to calm the group down.
"His powers are activating! Everyone back away!" The teachers call emergency services.
Parts of the things around me start breaking down and going into the light. They form into more slide puzzles. They take things on a molecular level. The kids continue to scream, as some have parts of them taken. Someone's arm gets taken. Someone's eye gets taken. There's now piles of slide puzzles. The skin on my right side is gone, and I'm bleeding profusely.
The light then stops and I pass out. A few news helicopters are hovering around the school.
—
Meanwhile at Miura Works...
"And we come to you with breaking news it seems that someone's power was activated at the Yoikura School."
Coworker: "Oi, Takumi! You seeing this? Shit is crazy..."
Takumi dropped his mug full of coffee as it zoomed in on the scene, showing me using the power. He rushed out of the building.
Coworker: "Takumi!" He sighed. "Guess I'm working overtime..."
—
Hana was sitting down at the couch when she saw the news.
Hana: "Haru... Haru!" She scrambled off the couch and ran out of the house.
—
My mother didn't know this was all happening. She was teaching a class and didn't check the news.
Hana was running as fast as she could. Father was driving. Both were panicked after seeing me on the news.
The police and ambulances showed up. They looked at my arm. Some government investigators also arrived. One wore a mask and the other wore and eyepatch.
Investigator 1: "This is brutal."
Investigator 2: "The kid activated his powers?" He ran his hand along the burnt wall.
Investigator 1: "Seems so... and what's up with the puzzles?" She looked at the teacher of the class.
Teacher: "H-he did that. Skin ripped o-off the students and it made those.." She was crying.
Investigator 1: "But it's metal..."
Investigator 2: "I guess he can just do that." He cracked his neck. A policeman runs to him.
Policeman: "Mr. Hanabi sir!"
Hanabi: "You don't have to be so formal... any updates?" He smoked a cigarette.
Policeman: "Yes Mr. Hanabi. We managed to get footage from the cameras.
Hanabi: "Kuzaki!" He snapped and she walked to him. "We got footage."
They watched the footage.
Hanabi: "The kid can probably create things using the molecules of things. Probably breaks things down at a molecular level. That's what I assume anyway... What a pain." He smoked again. "So do we have a known reason why?"
Teacher: The teacher cut in. "He was being made fun of."
He turned. He looked annoyed but still tired.
Hanabi: "Listen..." He walked up to her "One of the hardest things about being a teacher is noticing the little changes in the class atmosphere- I get that. But it's also your job. I had to do the same thing you did but with some runt off the street who didn't even know how to speak. Just do better than me next time."
The teacher nodded.
"Let me in!"
A man was trying to push past the police barricade. It was my father. Hana was also there but not trying to break through the barricade.
Kuzaki walks to him to assess the situation.
Kuzaki: "Who are you."
Takumi: "I'm the kids father. You gotta let me in."
Kuzaki: "So what?"
Takumi: "Please!"
Hanabi: "Let him in..." He smokes.
The cops and Kuzaki move out of the way and Takumi falls on the ground. He gets back up and runs to me. Hanabi stops him.
Takumi: "Is my son okay?!"
Hanabi: "It will take time for us to help him."
Suddenly I wake up. The pain is excruciating. I scream. Doctors hold me down.
Doctor 1: "You are okay. You are okay-"
Suddenly the doctors split apart. Their skin going perfectly in place on my arm. It acts as my own skin though it's a bit warped and a different color than the rest of my body. I'm hyperventilating.
Takumi: He pushes Hanabi out of the way. "Haruka!" He wraps his arms around me. Parts of him break off and become writing utensils. He starts using his powers. My powers stop working.
Hanabi: "Hey- get away from..." He looks at what happening, confused.
My father was hugging me tightly. I put my hands around his back to hug him.
My hands go through him. I look at my hands. Blood was dripping onto them.
Father falls to the ground. A massive hole was in his chest. Dead on the spot.
Hanabi: He stares at me. "You poor kid..." He looks at Kuzaki. "It happened again. Needle."
Kuzaki then disappears and I'm hit in the back of the head. I get knocked out.
—
This event became known as "The Yoikura Incident"
—
And then I woke up in a hospital. Nobody was in the room but me. I tried to move but I was restrained.
I sat there. The memories of what happened repeating in my head.
After twenty or so minutes, a doctor walks in the room. He had brown- almost blond hair that swept over his face. I read his name tag. His name was Yusuke Hiratsubo.
Yusuke: "We are just gonna do some tests. We have a special collar on you under all that... restraining gear. Sorry. It wasn't my choice. If I was in charge you would've been out of here already."
He gets out an IPad and does something. The collar shocks me a bit.
Yusuke: "You should be able to use your powers but barely now."
I looked at him. I tried using a power but nothing happened.
Yusuke: "No luck?" He looks around, sighing. "Would you rather talk about family or your powers."
Memories of the incident flashed through my head again. Specifically, my fathers body falling replays over and over. My eyes widen, I start to cry and I also start to struggle, trying to get out of this restraining gear.
Yusuke looks at me, slightly amused at my struggling. Eventually the amusement fades.
Yusuke: "Kid you can stop."
I'm crying a ton. I can't stop crying.
Yusuke: "I'll come back in a few hours."
I was in the hospital for three weeks. Turns out it wasn't even a hospital. It was a government facility where they assess someone's powers to document them.
—
Yusuke: "So, Haruka, your parents are gonna be outside ready to pick you up. You'll get to be home finally." He opened the door. No car was there.
I walk to the front gate but again, nobody was there to pick me up. I turn to Yusuke, who was standing at the door. He had a sad expression. I walked away.
—
Eventually I made it back home. I knocked on the door.
My mother opened it.
Misaki: "Haruka... Why are you-" She took a step back. "Why did you come back?!"
Haruka: "Huh?" My voice was a little raspy from all the screaming I've been doing.
Misaki: "You killed your father! Get the fuck away from us!"
I was stunned. My own mother didn't accept me anymore.
Misaki: "You ruined our lives- every day we get people trying to interview us. We get families harassing us. We can't even go out."
Haruka: "No please. Mom-"
Misaki: "Leave!"
I stepped back. Then I turned and started running away.
—
Every time I get money some of it goes to them. I hope eventually they will forgive me, but that's not likely. I've won the lottery before. That was fun. I gave it all to them. I don't need a "thank you" at this point or a "sorry".
—
After the dream I woke up.
I look around. It was my room in Shinurai.
Haruka: "My head hurts..." It was 4:51 in the morning. "I need to take a bath..."
I go to the bathroom and start taking a bath.
I start crying.
END OF CHAPTER