On a warm summer day, the birds chirp pleasantly, while the rush of a small river stream can be heard. A young Danzo Yamamoto, returning from middle school, walks along a quiet dirt path, calmly taking in the atmosphere.

  “Hey, Dany. Wait up!” a young girl's voice shouts behind him.

  Well, there goes my peace.

  Begrudgingly stopping and turning around, Maria manages to catch up to him. She wore a uniform that matched his, with brown hair tied in a neat bun. While their uniforms matched, his hair was short and tidy, complementing his strict demeanor.

  “You know, it's not nice to make a lady run. You should have at least met me halfway,” she complains, trying to catch her breath.

  “Oh, when I see one, I will remember that,” he dismissively says.

  As he turns around, the young girl sticks her tongue out at him before following. The two continue quietly on the way back to their homes. They had been neighbours since young, so this exchange wasn't rare for them.

  “Did you hear about the mimes? Pretty creepy, huh?” Maria says, striking up a conversation.

  “Mmm,” the boy says, giving an effortless response.

  “I heard some even speak, saying stuff to one another.”

  “Mhmmm.”

  “They have even been strategising, it's kind of cool but also creepy.”

  “Mmm, oh, I forgot to return Cain's pen,” he says to himself, not even hiding his disinterest.

  Fed-up, Maria runs in front and stops him, “Oi, I'm tryna to speak here and ya ain't even listenin'. Ya know how much I had ta read ta learn all this.”

  Oh, crap. Her accent slipped out.

  “Sorry about that, I had some stuff on my mind,” he apologetically says, not wanting to endure her full wrath. Angry, she scoffs and turns her head. “Uhmm, so Mimes are strategising. I heard it was just a coincidence,” he nervously says.

  “Mmm,” she grunts, Danzo now the one following her.

  “They’re saying it's also a way to blend in better with the environment, but I think that the Slayers have it under control.”

  “Whaaaaat,” she surprisingly exclaims, unable to continue the silent treatment, “Those weaklins’?! Ya can't be serious.”

  “They aren't so bad.”

  “Even the guys on television laughed when he heard about ‘em,” She said loudly, grabbing the attention of some of the townsfolk.

  Avoiding their gazes, he hushes, “Hey, not too loud. Didn't you say you were trying to be more ladylike?”

  Her face turns red out of embarrassment, and she quickly clears her throat, “Right you are, my dear friend. Shall we continue our discussions?”

  Not questioning her sudden change, he continues, “Right, and if you remember, I want to join them in a couple of years.”

  A sudden hint of sadness appears on her face, “I know, but do you really have to join them? Aren't there other ways to get through life?”

  “There are, but none of them are impactful, especially if I stay stagnant like this.”

  “But you can help people around town, or be a doctor,” She responds, trying to convince him.

  “No, I need to do something that has a bigger impact. Especially since I discovered my ability, I can do more good on the front line.”

  “Ever since you got that stupid ability, all you talk about is fighting and war.” She adds coldly.

  “Do you have a problem with it?” He asks bluntly.

  “I-...I just wish you would just be here a bit longer, is all…”

  “It's fine, I'll send letters from time to time, and knowing you, you'll make new friends in no time.”

  “That would be nice, I suppose,” she adds, sounding slightly more cheerful, “If I were a bit stronger, maybe I could tag along…”

  “No way, you'd just be a burden?”

  “Mean!” She pouts. It seems she was able to return to her usual demeanor.

  The two reach their respective homes. Waving goodbye to Maria, Danzo enters his home. Taking off his shoes, he notices a paper on top of the hallway drawer. Picking it up, it reads:

  “Dear Danzo.

  I'm sorry, but I had to rush off to Quilvet Central to visit your father. It seems his condition has gotten worse, and they require me to be here immediately. I don't know how long I will be out, but I have left some food and money for you in the kitchen. Please take care of the house while we are gone.

  Love you,

  Mom.”

  It had been a month or two since his father had been bitten by a split snake. The effects of the venom are quite severe, and the only facility to treat it is in Quilvet Central's hospital.

  Putting the letter down, Danzo takes a deep sigh and prepares for the evening. Completing his homework and showering, he sits in front of the television with his dinner and watches cartoons.

  Finishing up his meal, he turns off the television and takes his plates to the kitchen and wash them.

  It's still pretty early, so maybe I could get some training in. Just need to make sure I don't overexert.

  Coming to a decision, he dries his hands and makes his way to the backyard with a knife, a first aid kit, a bowl, and some water. He looks around to make sure he is alone. After confirming, he takes off his shirt to reveal the bandages around his arms and places the items on the floor, all except for the knife. Taking a deep breath, he places the knife close to his left forearm.

  The first step was always the hardest, making a cut deep enough to draw blood, but not so deep as to be fatal. After summoning the courage, he finally placed the knife against his wrist and cut, just deep enough for the blood to flow.

  Realizing he had cut a little too deep this time, he struggles to keep his composure.

  Okay, okay. Calm down. We have done this before, and there is just a little more than expected. Oh, crap, that's a lot.

  Regaining his composure, he focuses on the blood. His mind was distracted by the bleeding, but he did his utmost to stop it from drifting. The air felt a bit colder.

  Staring intensely at it, it began to slow down, even bending a little. After a few moments, the flow stopped entirely. Taking the opportunity, the portion of blood outside his body began to shift away from his arm, floating vertically still and becoming darker. It slowly floats over to the bowl and flows in, Danzo making sure a drop isn't wasted. Finally able to stop focusing, he grabs the first aid kit and tends to his arm, stopping the bleeding, sanitizing it, and bandaging it.

  It had been a month or two since Danzo discovered his ability to manipulate blood. It happened one day, when chopping vegetables, he got too distracted and nicked his finger. Washing the blood off, he thought about how to clean the rest off the chopping board, wishing it would flow into the sink. As if reading his mind, the blood began to move toward it. In surprise, and after some testing, he discovered his ability through the incident. He did tell Maria about it, but vaguely so as he was still trying to understand it himself..

  Wanting to put his powers to good use, he began training in secret. Unfortunately, these training sessions came far and few in between. The issue usually lies in finding alone time to do so and recovering from the blood loss. At first, he could only move a few droplets, but now he is able to hold streams consistently, albeit slowly.

  After attending to his wounds, he placed his focus on the bowl, standing before it. Tonight, he trained his shape formation and deployment. Hoping that in the future he would be able to, at one point, sharpen it enough to pierce his flesh and allow him to access it without tools. Starting simple, he tried forming shapes. While making the shape was simple, refining it while maintaining it proved to be the most difficult step. He would often get an ellipsoid instead of a sphere. After an hour, the blood clumsily fell back into the bowl, and he sat there exhausted, but undefeated.

  Tch, again.

  Taking a sip of water and calming down, he would continue this cycle for another hour. Focusing on first holding and maintaining the shape, and instead of trying to change the whole thing at once, take baby steps, focusing on one point at a time. Once he was finished, he managed to reach a satisfactory level of sphere creation.

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  Calling it a night, he took the bowl of blood and drained it down the sink. He made the mistake of once throwing it outside and attracting wild animals. Once bitten. After cleaning the bowl, he checked his bandage. Seems the scab has begun forming.

  Taking some iron supplements, he crashes onto his bed, exhausted from the training and thinking about the next one. Fortunately, Orner is a small town, and being one of its residents, the days aren't too busy.

  Waking up the next morning, he prepares and heads out to school. For Danzo, he mostly kept to himself, making sure his grades didn't become a concern, and only spoke to Maria. She mostly spoke to him out of pity that he didn't have any friends, but that was how he liked it. It kept his days easy to manage, and he found them pointless. Besides, he sometimes felt he grew up a bit too fast. He never understood the things they did or talked about; it was uninteresting. Kids would talk about him behind his back, but it never bothered him. He failed to see why it should concern him.

  But it did bother Maria as she got offended on his behalf, scolding and fighting with the other children. Sometimes the fight would get out of hand, and he would drag her away and calm her down. It seemed less troublesome than letting her start her rampage. After school, he didn't stay behind for any extracurricular activities, opting to head home or to the town for groceries if needed. He enjoys his solitude, but unfortunately, Maria doesn't tend to be too far as she often tags along and keeps him company.

  After a week, Danzo makes his way to the town centre to buy some ingredients for dinner, Maria happily tagging along. Arriving at a small grocery store, Danzo grabs a basket while Maria runs to the magazine section, gushing at the models on it.

  “Hey, don't you think I would be perfect for modeling, Danzo?” She asks, striking a proud pose.

  “I suppose, but why do you want to be a model anyway?” He asks, staring at the price of a can of tuna.

  “What do you mean why? It's my calling,” she replies, picking up another magazine.

  “Hmmmm, wouldn't you rather want to be a teacher or doctor, maybe even a vet?” Not even turning his head, he places a couple of cans in his basket and makes his way toward the fruit and vegetable aisle.

  “No way, teachers are so lame. All they do is yell, scold you, or give you a bunch of homework.” She replies as she follows him.

  “Aren't the first two mainly applicable to you. You do tend to mess around in class.”

  “Well, the teachers do speak about some really boring stuff,” she responds, pouting.

  “You seem to misunderstand them, Maria. Teachers are more important than models will ever be. While the stuff they teach may be boring, a good teacher aims to teach you how to learn. You should be grateful to Ms. Delia. Oh, this is on special.” Danzo finishes, clearly distracted by the bargains at the end.

  “Hmph, always so serious,” she continues pouting, “But maybe you're right. She never gets too angry at me and is always there to help me.”

  “Good. Now we just need to head to the meat section, and I can go home,” Danzo says to himself.

  Walking toward the meat aisle, a bunny-shaped chocolate grabs Maria's eye. She instinctively grabs Danzo's shirt, stopping him.

  “Hm, something wrong?” He says. He turns to her, and his eyes follow where she's looking. Like clockwork, there's her sweet tooth. This isn't the first nor the last time Maria has done this. Whenever they shop together, there is usually a snack or a sweet that grabs her attention. It often leads to her and Danzo arguing, as he has to buy them for her. Seems this is not going to be any different.

  “I'm heading to grab some meat,” he says, but he doesn't make it far as Maria is still holding his shirt.

  “Please?” She asks like a child begging their parents to buy them something.

  “No way. It’s not my fault you can't manage your allowance,” he says, trying to pull himself away.

  “Eh, but I still have it. Since last time, I started leaving it at home so I don’t waste it!” She adds, grabbing his arm with both hands.

  “Damn it, how are you so strong! I'm not buying you anything!” He responds, trying his best to pull away.

  “Meanie! Who says no to a lady!”

  “A lady doesn't get this worked up over snacks!”

  “Then I forsake ma’ ladyhood if I have ta’ let go of my values!” She shouts, grabbing the attention of nearby customers.

  “What the hell kind of morals are those?!” He shouts back.

  After several minutes, they made their way to the cashier, placing the groceries alongside some sweets that Maria grabbed.

  “Lost again, ‘ey, Danzo?” The old lady said with a smile. Danzo had a look of exhaustion while Maria was beaming with energy. After paying, they make their way home, Maria happily eating her snacks as they do so.

  “May I come hang out at your place today?” She asks as she takes another sweet out of the bag.

  “First, you take my money, and then my house? Besides, why do you want to?” Danzo groans as he analyses the receipt.

  “Well, we don't have school tomorrow and your parents aren't back yet, are they?”

  Danzo remains silent, wishing not to think about the situation. “I suppose, but you can't stay too long, I want to do some training,” he replies after a brief pause.

  “Oh, that's cool,” she says, looking a bit down. “Would it be fine if I watch?”

  “As long as you don't get in the way or tell anyone, I don't have a problem,” Danzo replies.

  Reaching his home, Danzo walks toward his kitchen to place the groceries. Before closing the door, Maria notices a letter in the post box. Quickly taking it before closing the door, she walks toward Danzo and glances at it. It's from his mother.

  “Oh, Dany, your mom sent a letter!” She shouts.

  “Hm, a letter?” She gives him the letter, and he reads it:

  “My dear Danzo.

  I'm sorry to say this, but it seems your father's condition has taken a turn for the worse. I have found some well-paying work here that should be able to cover his medical expenses. Unfortunately, I will need to stay here for much longer. As much as I would love to have you here, the schools on this side are too expensive and I can't afford a place and your tuition.

  I know this is sudden, but maybe you could stay with your friend, Maria's parents, Vito and Carla. I trust them and we've known them our whole life. They shouldn't have an issue, but please apologise for the inconvenience.

  Please be strong for us, your father and I have always been so proud of how quickly and well you handle yourself. I will try my best to visit when things aren't difficult here, and, in the meantime, I will still send you money to help. I am sorry.

  With love,

  Mom”

  Danzo puts the letter down and clenches his fist. After a few seconds, he crumples the letter and throws it aside.

  “Whatever.” He mutters to himself, quelling the burning feeling in his chest and trying to contain his mixed emotions. “I'm going to prepare something for us to eat.”

  “What did it say?” Maria asks worriedly, placing her hand on his shoulder. He shrugs it off and walks to the kitchen, leaving her alone in the hallway.

  After a few moments in the kitchen, he brings two plates, each holding a sandwich, to the living room. He hands one to a concerned Maria, not focusing on the television. They eat in silence, with the only noise coming from the cartoons. After finishing, Danzo takes their plates away. Maria notices he barely took a bite of his meal.

  After a couple of minutes, he walks past her with a knife, a bowl, and a first aid kit. Confused, she stands up and follows him to the backyard. Quietly placing everything down, he removes his shirt, revealing the bandages on his arms, and places the knife on his forearm afterward. Shocked, she quickly grabs his arm holding the knife, “WHAT'RE YA DOIN’ ?! HAVE YA’ FINALLY LOST IT?!” She shouts in horror.

  “Let go,” he says, angrily pulling his arm away from her, “It's part of my training.”

  “Trainin’?” She says confusedly.

  “Yes. Training.” He realizes that he didn't explain how his ability works to her. Taking a deep breath, he continues, “I can control my blood and make it take any shape I want, even moving it.”

  “Ew, that's gross,” she immediately responds, disgust evident on her face.

  “Doesn't matter if it's gross, this can help me stand out in the Slayers and finally fix everything.” After finishing, he takes the knife and makes a clean cut on his arm. The blood flows steadily into the bowl.

  Holding her judgment, Maria moves closer to watch, “So, can you…Can you control everyone's blood or only yours?”

  “I can…” his eyes widen in surprise, realising he never asked the question himself, “Can I control other people's blood?”

  “I thought you said you'd stopped that,” Maria snaps back, her eyes narrowing.

  “Hm?” He suddenly remembers a time when he used to deal with Maria by answering her questions with a question. Finally reaching her limit, she suplexed him out of anger. “Oh, sorry, sorry. I was thinking out loud,” he quickly replies, not wanting to relive past events.

  After the bowl fills, Danzo begins to clean and bandage his wound, Maria watching closely. After a few moments, the wound is covered, and he stands in front of the bowl. As he practises, he feels Maria's eyes on him, impeding his focus. A few moments later, he gets his mind back on track, and the blood begins moving.

  Getting used to it, his training was paying off. He was easily able to form simple shapes and move them smoothly from one side to the other, bending and twisting it.

  “I might…be able to make it…to the next step,” he says aloud, trying to maintain focus while speaking. The next step of his training was to condense the blood. When he made the sphere, he had to concentrate on making it smaller while maintaining its shape. While practicing, he hit a new wall. Whenever the ball would get smaller, it became harder to maintain its shape as the blood tried to escape. At first, it exploded and some fell to the floor, but with the remaining blood, he got better. Eventually able to catch it after each explosion.

  After several minutes, he decides to take a break, placing it slowly in the bowl.

  “So your mom is going to be in Quilvet a little while longer, huh?” Maria says, surprising Danzo as he forgot she was there.

  “Yes…” he responds, catching his breath.

  “I'm sorr-”

  “There's no need to apologise. Mom has a good reason to stay there. Dad is sick, like always, and she needs to make money to pay for his medical bills. They can only treat him there, and I can handle myself here. Like always,” he says dismissively, interrupting Maria.

  “But they're going to be gone for a long time. I under-”

  “They are always gone. If it's not dad's health, it's some emergency or vacation. I have gotten this far without them, and I will go on without them. They only return when they don't have money or when they’re healthy! I am fine with it!” He says, struggling to contain his anger.

  “I'm sor-” she tries to speak, but is interrupted once more.

  “NO! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO ALWAYS BE THE ONE LEFT BEHIND. AT LEAST YOUR PARENTS ARE HERE, MINE WOULD RATHER BE ANYWHERE ELSE! THEY ALWAYS PROMISE IT’S THE LAST TIME, BUT THEY DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN! I HAVE BEEN CARRYING THIS ON MY OWN, AND YOU KNOW WHAT, IT MADE ME STRONGER. I AM STRONG BECAUSE OF IT, AND BECAUSE OF IT, I CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING! YOU WO-” he stops as he notices the tears streaming down Maria's face. She quickly stands and walks toward the house.

  Trying to stop her, he can only say “Maria, I-” before being interrupted.

  “I don't care if you're hurt. Just-... just because you keep it in, doesn't make you stronger. It makes you weak... I won't bother you anymore,” she finishes with tears, slamming the door behind her.

  Danzo stood there quietly, staring at the door. Her words echo in his mind.