Fake

[Wryneck]

blue I don't have any particular plot in mind, so just reply and we'll see where things go from there.

Ripples spread as the light footsteps of a young female tapped down upon the small puddles that lined the city streets. The evening was just beginning, but the street lights had yet to turn on. Only a few of them pierced through the cloudy sky that covered the city. A crisp chill caught itself against the walking female's cloak and made it flutter in the wind before allowing it to fall back in place. The city looked peaceful right now. Strangely peaceful, compared to how busy it usually was. Rainy days had this effect upon this particular city. It seemed to calm the Hell that this city was on any other given day. This was something Aois enjoyed though. She was able to walk the streets without as many worries.

There weren't many worries to be had for her anyway. She lived on the "better off" side of the city, so the dangers were far less numerous than what they were in the "less successful" portions of the city. She lived in a modestly-sized home with her grandmother, where she did most everything. She was even homeschooled, which was a necessity on the part of her albinism. Today was a day for which she was outside for the most part. She had the clouds that were blocking the sunlight to thank for that. Unfortunately, she also had those same clouds to thank for Sam not being open today. How she wouldn't have minded a churro on one of the days where she could actually be outside for a long period of time.

She didn't pay it too much mind though. She was determined to use this opportunity to go farther than she'd previously gone before; to places that were, more often than not, barred from her access by the sunlight.

Aois swiped a bit of her shoulder-length, white hair behind her ear and examined the park before her with her dark green hues. She wasn't very fortunate to be inflicted with such a mutation, but she did what she could with what she had, and she enjoyed life the best she could. Right now though, she wanted to relax.

One of her pale hands set itself down upon a bench that overlooked a small pond. It was wet, naturally. There weren't many other people around, so she was pretty much by her lonesome here. She pulled out a small towel that she'd draped over her arm and laid it down on the bench, folding it over before she took a seat. She was a short person, only five feet tall, weighing only ninety-five pounds. No one would believe this girl was seventeen. Anyone who saw her sitting there would rather think that she was a child. The only thing arguing against it was the level of indifference that was displayed on her face.

Once she'd settled herself, she went about to petting the black cat that had found his way from the top of her head to her lap, where he curled up as if he was going to take a nap there. The chances were likely that he would indeed take a nap as she sat there, feeding the birds with the breadcrumbs she'd brought from home. Little words were spoken by the invisible young male that stood near where she sat, watching her as she fed the birds. His quietness would normally concern her, but she was enjoying the peace for this moment. The sun was away, and it was her chance to spend her day in what was, to her, the most beautiful part of the city.

 

[Stray Shinku]

Cold and cloudy days like this were Haruto favorite days even when that differed with his usual every day. He was part of a gang located in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of the city. He was lucky to still alive so far, but that was thanks to his intelligence and brute force. He was most of the time busy doing some "business" for the gang, but because today was a rainy one, they decided to settle down until tomorrow. Secretly, Haruto thanked any god that lived in heaven. Sighing softly, the tall red haired guy was sitting on the bench from a nearby park, bringing with himself a bag of breadcrumbs for feed the birds. This was an activity that bring some peace to his mind and that he kept as a secret from everyone. After all, they will mock him for good if they find out.

A chilly breeze crossed through the park, making his scarlet hair lightly flutter around until the breeze faded into oblivion. Blinking once, Haruto opened the bag of breadcrumbs and grabbed a handful before tossing them on the ground. As if it was some source of invocation, a couple of pigeons and other bird species quickly fled from the trees toward the spot where the breadcrumbs landed. The began to feast on the glorious food as much as they could. Haruto scoffed with a side smile as he observed the birds, noticing that most of them were so selfish that they attacked any bird that tried to eat a crumb that was near them. "There's enough for everyone, you know?" he mumbled, taking another handful and tossing it on the ground, making some pigeons flapped their wings for fly away by instinct, but quickly turned around after they realized another round of crumbs arrived.

Suddenly, Haruto felt the presence of somebody nearby. Blinking once, he looked around and spotted a short figure sitting on a bank in front of him, just a couple of feet away. He couldn't see the face of the person because of the cloak, but he guessed that it was a female, probably a kid due her height. Not giving much care to it, Haruto returned his gaze to the birds, glad that it wasn't somebody from the gang or from a rival one.

 

[Wryneck]

After feeding the birds for only a short time, Aois was surprised to see some of them flying away already. They didn't usually leave so soon, and it wouldn't take her long to determine why. A red-haired man, who'd Aois had never seen before, was feeding the birds from a park bench of his own. Though the figure looked suspicious, he did not seem to exude an aura of any particular sort of danger. His face gave off both a look of contemplation and calmness, while still being passable as serious.

"He should be fine," the invisible male beside her spoke. This young one wasn't someone that anyone else can see. It was just a product of her schizophrenia. Seeing this boy who didn't exist, believing as though the cat on her resting on her lap could speak to her - they both shared the same cause. Aois nodded and lightly patted the cat twice, who, in response, rose and jumped down beside her. The girl stood and slowly approached the lone male, so as not to startle the birds too greatly. Though she fed them almost every chance she got, birds were still birds, and it was in their nature to fly away when potential danger approached.

Once she was standing right next to her fellow bird feeder, she offered a smile and took a seat beside him. Digging her hand into her own bag of breadcrumbs, she tossed them to the birds, whom closed in on their treat like heat-seeking missiles. "They're nice, aren't they?" she spoke softly, referencing the birds. "They can fly," she told him, stating it almost as if it was something he didn't know. She wasn't trying to insult his intelligence so much as she was attempting to point out why she found them nice. She always admired a bird's ability to fly away when it pleased. It was, of course, a nice thought to her, someone who was almost always stuck up in the house because of her ailment.

 

[Stray Shinku]

Even when Haruto remained calm on the bench, he secretly got a bit startled when the girl stood up and make her approach toward him. It wasn't his fault, though. He has witnessed a lot of people dying just because they got way too confident and lower their guard, allowing the enemy to stab them on their backs or shot them right on the face. So, even if Haruto looked calm that doesn't mean he can't see or sense what is happening on his surroundings. Yes, the female looks like just a little kid, but that wasn't a reason enough for Haruto to not be cautious. Kids these days were more dangerous than a full grown adult.

He let her sit on the bench, not having any problems to share some space. Besides, she wasn't that close to him, so it was fine with him. "They're nice, aren't they?" Haruto heard her asking, tossing a handful of breadcrumbs at the hungry birds. "They can fly." A light scoff escaped through Haruto's mouth after hearing that statement, turning his head to his right to have a closer look at the girl, giving her a small smile. He didn't think she insulted his intelligence. He actually wondered if she was a birds enthusiast like him. "That's one of the main reasons of why I love birds so much," he finally said after been so quiet. He returned his gaze to the birds, grabbing another handful of breadcrumbs before tossing it at them. "I wish I could have a pair of beautiful wings just like them, so I can have a little taste of true freedom, conquering the skies like an untamed creature. That would be really nice, you know?"

Haruto scoffed, kind of embarrassed to share such thoughts with a complete stranger, but that actually made him feel more relaxed than before. He looked up at the gray sky, some dark clouds drifting in the hair like a turtle. "I'm so jealous of them. The only thing they need to worry about is to find food and a place to rest. Other than that, there's nothing that they have to worry about. They don't have any shackles that prevent them from flying toward the endless horizon, blessed by the gifts of freedom."

Realizing he was babbling too much about stuff that may be absolutely boring to the girl beside him, Haruto sighed and looked down at the pigeons, feeling kind of stupid. "Ah, don't mind about the nonsense of this old guy," he said. He was only 18 years old, but because he thought that the girl was like 10 years or a bit younger, he guessed that he may look like an old guy in her eyes.

 

[Wryneck]

Aois shook her head in an attempt to assure the man that what he was saying was anything but nonsense. She empathized with him, even if she didn't know his situation. Not that such knowledge was needed anyway. Almost anyone could hold a desire to be able to fly like the birds, for almost any reason. It was important, however, to remember that they were human - an inescapable fact.

"Even though they can fly, they can't think," she pointed out, noting that birds, too, had their limitations. "Would I give up my intelligence in exchange for the ability to go with the birds?" Aois tossed more breadcrumbs to the pigeons below, and it was left unclear whether they question was for herself, or for the male beside her. "I don't think so," the girl spoke, answering her own question. "I wouldn't be able to feed the birds if I did." Aois turned her head ever so slightly towards her companion and gave a sort of satisfied smile, as though she was glad she knew the answer for herself.

 

[Stray Shinku]

Haruto went silent after hearing the little girl thoughts. He smiled after realizing that was all true and was really surprised to hear that coming from a child. He chuckled and turned his head to look down at her. "That's really clever," he said. "That caught me off guard. I didn't expect to hear such deep thinking from a little girl like you. I guess kids these days are more clever than adults." He laughed a bit, looking back at the pigeons and still not realizing that the Aois was just a year younger than him. He also didn't say that in an offensive way. He was trying to compliment her.

"By the way, my name is Haruto. Haruto Suzumiya." He grabbed the last handful of breadcrumbs from his bag and tossed them at the birds, smiling. "What's your name? Sure, you don't need to answer that if you don't want to. After all, I bet your parents taught you to not give such information to strangers."

 

[Wryneck]

"Aois," the girl replied, smiling politely. She didn't bother to tell the man because she viewed it as irrelevant, but she viewed herself as having the ability to read people's auras and determine their intentions. From Haruto, she sensed no ill will, and so had no worries about his motives. "You seem like a nice person, so I'm not worried."

Without warning, the cat that had been following Aois around jumped up on the bench and began rubbing itself against Haruto's leg as a sign of affection. "It would seem Cat likes you, too," she told him, caressing the cat as it became familiar with Haruto's presence. "I'm not always able to come here because of my illness, but I've never seen you here before. Do you come here a lot? It's a beautiful spot."

That it was. With a center fountain that gave off the slightest drizzling noise when it wasn't raining, the surrounding benches, and the visiting avian beings, it was a great place to come to relax if one was stressed or was just taking some time to themselves. Whenever she was able to venture outside, she always made sure to stop here and feed the birds. While he didn't live with her, Cat was almost always with her wherever she went, always using her lap as a comfortable place to take a nap. She usually brought a churro along for herself, but the cart that sold them was closed today due to the weather. "Would you eat a soggy churro?" she asked, only partially aware of how silly such a question must be.

 

[Stray Shinku]

Haruto went silent for a while after hearing Aois saying he seemed like a nice person, something he wasn't according to himself. He was a criminal that haven't killed anyone yet and doesn't abuse from the innocent and weak, but do other illegal stuff around the streets. Still, he was somehow glad to hear from somebody that seem like a good guy. He smiled a bit and when he turned his face to look down at Aois, he spotted a cat jumping to the bench and began to rub himself against his leg. He scoffed and reached the cat's right ear with his index finger, lightly scratching its back. He didn't know why but for some reason Haruto always animals, especially dogs, and cats. It's was as if his mere presence have something that had something likable to them.

"Yes, this is one of my favorite spots," he said, answering her first question. "I come here every time I can or I'm not busy." Haruto looked at Aois for a few seconds, wondering what condition she was talking about. Then, he spotted her extremely white chin and that's when he realized that Aois have albinism. Now he understood why she was wearing a cloak.

"Mmh... I'm actually up for some churros," he said and lightly pet Cat's head before looking at Aois. "Sam's cart is closed today, but luckily for us, there's a bakery nearby that sells churros as well. They're really good and they're more than 8 flavors. So, mind if I invite you to get some? It's my treat." Haruto wasn't the kind of person that invite people to hang out somewhere, but Aois was different. She was a kind and sweet girl that didn't treat him with indifference. Sure, that was because she actually didn't know what he really was, but for now, Haruto didn't care and just enjoyed her company.

 

[Wryneck]

Aois' eyes lit up at Haruto's offer. She rarely ever checked any of the buildings out, so she never knew that there was actually a nearby bakery that sold churros. She felt bad for not remaining loyal to Sam, but he was closed anyway, and it would be fine if she went this one time. "You really would?" the girl asked ecstatically, a big smile plastered on her face. The invisible boy beside her laughed at her mannerisms, but she didn't take it as though he were mocking her for acting so giddy over a dessert item.

Aois tossed what remained of the crumbs she'd brought to the birds and hopped to her feet. "Will you lead the way?" she asked, following after the male once he'd started walking. Cat was tagging along a little behind them, becoming distracted by the birds and anything else that moved. He'd jump over puddles that were littering the floor, twitching ever so slightly when he missed the jump by a mere paw and got himself wet. The boy was walking alongside Cat, laughing at his silly behavior. "What flavors do they have?" Aois inquired, almost skipping ahead of Haruto.

 

[Stray Shinku]

"Well, I cannot tell you all of the flavors because I don't remember them," replied Haruto with a chuckle, walking beside Aois and putting his hands in the pockets of his black pants. "But my favorite ones are those filled with Dulce de Leche and Nutella. Oh, I've heard that the ones filled with guava pasta are good as well, but I don't really like guava." Haruto swallowed hard after feeling his mouth watering just by the thought of eating some fresh and recently baked Dulce de leche churros. His scarlet eyes sparkled with joy, wiping his mouth with the back of his right hand. Realizing what he was doing and how he was acting, he blushed faintly and hoped Aois didn't notice what was going on with him.

Clearing his throat, he looked around as they left the park and walk along a sidewalk that was on the right of the park. The sky was still gray with black clouds still floating around, threatening the world bellow them with chilly and heavy rain. Haruto looked up at them and wondered if it will rain again or they will fade away eventually. He didn't care about the rain, though. He actually loved rainy days and didn't mind to get a little wet.

After a few minutes of walking beside a couple of shops and other business establishments, the birds lovers duo finally arrived at the bakery. It was a small building painted with soft and simple colors, and with two windows, one on each wall, and a wooden door in the middle that had a big flashing lights letter that read "Welcome". A few people sitting on the table while eating some pastry or drinking some coffee could be seen through the windows. Haruto smiled after sniffing the familiar and delightful scent of cake and other pastry.

"Ah, we're finally here," he said, stopping in front of the door. As he turned around, he opened it for Aois like a gentleman. "After you."

 

[Wryneck]

"Ooo!" Aois whispered. Even though he hadn't named much, the flavors still sounded interesting. "The ones filled with strawberry crème are my favorite." When she'd first met Sam, she tried a simple cinnamon churro, and said that it was good, but that she felt it was missing something. He'd given her a sort of knowing smile back then, and had her try one with strawberry filling. She already loved strawberries on their own, but she fell even more in love experiencing them combined with a churro. Thinking back on it, she giggled to herself. "It's a silly thing to get excited over, isn't it?"

Before long, walking under the dark gray clouds swirling above, they arrived at the quaint bakery Haruto had mentioned. There were already people inside enjoying themselves, and Aois liked the sight. Even when the weather was what most would consider "gloomy", people still managed to maintain lifted spirits. Aois loved the rain herself. She thought of it as something that cleansed people, without discrimination. Those solitary rain drops fell on each person equally, no matter who they were.

Haruto, having moved on ahead, held the door open for her. She bowed and gave thanks to him before entering. Once she was inside, she looked around in awe at all the pastries that were available. Behind the counter at the head of the building was a woman who was refilling the trays with freshly baked goodies. Aois excitedly rushed over and watched as she put new treats out for display. The woman laughed at the young girl's excitement and waved in greeting to Haruto, recognizing him as a regular. "Finally get yourself a girl?" she asked, half serious, half in a teasing manner. Aois, who was absorbed in eyeing the sweets before her, was oblivious to what the woman was suggesting. "What'll you two have today, Haru?"

 

[Stray Shinku]

Haruto looked at Sakura with a confused expression after her answer and then looked down at Aois. Getting what she meant, he widened his eyes and quickly glared back at her, blushing faintly and frowning with embarrassment. "Of course not, baka," he replied and looked away, still flustered. "She's just a friend. Besides, cannot you see she's way younger than me?" Haruto hasn't been shipped before so he didn't know how to deal with it. He sighed and looked down at the available pastries through the glass of the counter. he sighed to calm down. "I would like two Caramel churros and they better be recently baked or else I won't pay you." Threating Sakura with such a silly thing was his way to get some revenge for embarrassing him. He was glad that Aois was so lost into the pastries that she didn't hear her.

"So, Aois, what you wish to order. Pick anything you want and don't mind the prices, okay?" He tapped the glass with his right index finger, exactly where the Strawberry crème churros laid perfectly. "Aren't those the ones you like?"

 

[Wryneck]

Aois' eyes filled with wonder at the sight of her favorite churro. It wasn't that she was surprised to see that Sakura had them, but simply that she didn't think she'd be able to have one today. The short girl turned towards Haruto and nodded, withdrawing some money from within her hood. She offered it to her traveling companion, who then gave the female baker the correct amount and returned the rest to her. Sakura slid open the glass door on her side and picked up the one that Aois wanted with her gloves, placing it on a thin napkin. She retrieved the ones that Haruto had asked for and handed them their treats. Aois bowed in thanks and retreated to the outside to sit on a bench that rested in front of the building.

"Thank you," she directed at Haruto, who'd accompanied her outside once more. The creme filling was sweet in her mouth, a taste that blended well with the natural cinnamon flavor of the pastry. "Maybe I'll come here again if Sam's is ever closed while I'm out." Though he couldn't be seen, the boy was happily sitting at the end of the bench, glad that Aois could continue to smile. Cat was sitting beside her, watching her eat. He knew that once she was finished, she would let him lick up whatever strawberry filling remained on her hands, just like she always did. He couldn't think so because of him being a cat and all, but he'd probably assume that a girl like Aois intentionally allowed her hands to get a bit messy for him.

"Where do you come from?" Aois asked inquisitively. "I live around this neighborhood, with my grandmother. She's a very nice person. She lived her life like one of the birds." She smiled at the thought of it, glad that she knew someone who was free in their youth. "Why can't you fly? If it's okay for me to ask..."

 

[Stray Shinku]

When Aois asked him from where he came from, Haruto looked down at his lap where he laid his churros on top of a napkin. He picked one of them and bite it, the blissful sensation of cinnamon mixing with caramel fudge making a delightful explosion inside his mouth. He slowly munched, thinking how to answer Aois. He was kind of afraid to see her reaction if he tells her that he lived in the dangerous neighborhood next to this one. Swallowing, he sighed and slowly looked away. "Um... I live in the Soleil neighborhood," he finally said, lifting his churro to have another bite. "My parents died a long time ago, so I live alone in a small apartment." Haruto was kind of ashamed to reveal that to Aois, but some part of him felt that she won't judge him with discrimination.

Blinking twice, Haruto turned his head to his left and looked down at Aois with a small smile. "But, hey, I actually like hat place, you know? Yes, it's dangerous, but I got accustomed to it and I give myself to respect, defending myself if I have to." He scoffed and shrugged, eating the last piece of his first churro. "I cannot fly because that place snatches the freedom of anyone inside and in extreme cases, it snatches their lives for good." After saying those last words, Haruto stopped talking, thinking that he said enough and afraid to scare Aois. Noticing that his hand had some cinnamon, sugar, and caramel, he looked down at Cat and held out his hand in front of his face, letting him lick his fingers if he wishes to.

 

[Wryneck]

Aois listened intently to Haruto's explanation, and was glad that the male had not opted to lie to her. Regardless of where he came from, the aura he gave off was still that of a calm one. He was not a man that wished anyone any ill will, but was merely involved with the wrong people by pure circumstance. She smiled at him, petting Cat as he liked the remnants of his churros. "You're not a bad person," she assured him. It might've seemed silly of her, telling a stranger this, but she was usually right with her gut feelings. Even her invisible friend agreed with her.

"Anyone can desire to fly, no matter where they come from. Even if you did bad things, the fact that you want to fly shows that you want to change." The smile that maintained its place on her face was one of complete sincerity. She was glad that she had given the male a chance. "I like people like that. I envy them even. I'm sure you can change," Aois told him, positive herself that he could. Having finished licking Haruto's hands clean, Cat went to work licking the tips of Aois' fingers.

 

[Stray Shinku]

Once again, Haruto was amazed by Aois clever responses and thoughts. He slowly looked down at her with a suspicious smile, really doubting if she was just a kid. "Sorry if this question may be kind of awkward, but how old you are, Aois?" he asked her, picking his churro with his other hand. "It's just that I don't think those thoughts belong to a 10-year-old kid. I'm really impressed and really curious to know a little more about you." After finishing with the talk, Haruto realized that everything he said was kind of weird and from anyone's point of view, it was as if he was flirting with a kid. His face went kind of pale and a drop of sweat appeared on his forehead after thinking deeply about that, but it was already too late to fix it.

"U-Um... I'm sorry," he said after a few minutes of silent, looking away with shame and faint blush on his cheeks. "You don't have to answer that, okay? After all, you're just a kid that probably just acting nice with me, probably because your grandmother taught you that." A small scoff escaped Haruto's mouth and he looked around, seeing if there were people around giving him weird looks after be sitting so closely to a child. Yes, he was touched by Aois' words when she said he was a good man regardless of the wrong decisions he has made and was really happy for her company today, but in other people's eyes, he was the living example of a 'Pedo Bear'.

 

[Wryneck]

"I don't mind, though it is insignificant." Aois held up all her fingers, closed her fists, then held up seven, hoping that the male would get what she meant. "My grandmother teaches me a lot of things, but she trusts my judgement. I've never been wrong before," she claimed, though without any hint of arrogance or self-praise. From what she could see, Haruto seemed pretty worried about his interactions with her. She could imagine that others might view him as a bit of a creep if they couldn't distinguish the aura he gave off. That wasn't really something she wanted. "You don't need to worry about it," she assured him, rising from her seat.

"I'll be walking some more, today. I want to try to go farther than I've ever gone before." Aois looked up once Haruto stood, her companion being a bit taller than her. She offered him a curt smile and motioned for Cat to follow her before she progressed. "Do you know any interesting places we can go, Mr. Haruto?" She stopped once she'd passed him, awaiting a response. Even though he wasn't around here too often, he might've been to some amazing places that she's never seen before.

 

[Stray Shinku]

When Haruto saw Aois hands sign, telling him that her age was actually 17 years old, he looked away and cough after choking with his churro. That really caught him off guard, but everything made more sense now. She was just a year younger than him, so his worries simply faded. After recovering from his shock, he scoffed, a little embarrassed by his little mistake and realizing that Aois may have sensed that he was quite unsettled around her. Quickly finishing his last churro, Haruto shook off the sugar from his hands and stood up from the bench. Swallowing, he looked down at Aois with a smile. "There's actually a cool area not so far from here," he replied, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants. "It's a street which walls have a lot awesome graffitis, the vivid examples of urban art. It's not a touristic zone, but I've seen a few once in a while passing by and taking pictures."

With those last words, Haruto began to walk beside Aois. "There's also a big monument after that street that tells how this city built a long time ago. I hope you like historic stuff because this whole block is filled with them."

 

[Wryneck]

"That sounds really interesting!" Aois exclaimed. A place full of art she'd never seen before would definitely be a site to see. She believed that people revealed themselves through art, even in the most trivial of productions. "Shall we go?"

At her words, the pair began to walk. Haruto led the way into places that she'd never seen before. The neighborhood wasn't particularly shady, but it wasn't as nice as the one she lived in either. She wasn't ecstatic about their location. It drowned out Haruto's aura. "I'm not used to this type of atmosphere," she stated, her demeanor still calm. "Is this the type of place you come from, Haruto?"

The boy beside them, though Haruto couldn't see him, was walking right alongside Aois. Of course, there was nothing he could do even if something should happen. He was just a figment of her imagination. Cat, however, was walking about as though he hadn't a care in the world. Aois would protect him, and he was as certain as a cat can be that if she trusted this male, he could be trusted to protect him too. He looked tough enough, even if his hair was a bit of a strange color.

 

[Stray Shinku]

Haruto nodded and turned his head to his right to look down at Aois. He noticed that she was beginning to feel kind of uncomfortable and unsafe around these streets. He sighed and looked away, not blaming her at all. After all, he knew perfectly how shade this block can be and how ugly things can get in the blink of an eye. Still, Haruto didn't want Aois to have such an awful view of the place where he practically grew up. Smiling with a side smile, he looked back at Aois. "This place may be nothing compared to the beautiful neighborhood you live, but I can assure you that it isn't so bad," he said and held out his right hand for her to grab. "If you allow me to, I can show you of what I'm talking about. I promise you won't regret it."

Haruto's smile was sincere and he definitely won't let Aois be hurt or involve in such things that will put her life in danger. For the little time he has known her, he could see that she was a really nice girl with a lot of curiosity, probably after spent so much time inside of her home due to her condition. He smiled brightly at her for let her know that everything will be alright and that she can trust him.