~ Five ~
The girl was confused. She found herself in a dark room. She had blacked out after Hiro picked her up and now she was lying on a mattress with the blankets pulled up to her chin. She blinked, turning her head and looking at the wall on her right. Above her was a dark window. She scrunched her brow, then turned her head, looking in the other direction. What she first saw was a glowing screen. Then her sight focused on the person who sat in front of it. Some strange round device was attached to the laptop and the man, who was Hiro, was typing something swiftly. He appeared to be completely focused, his golden eyes narrowed. As the girl watched him Hiro lifted his head and glanced at her.
“You’re awake,” he said.
The girl nodded. Hiro looked back at the screen. The girl frowned and looked at the ground beside the mattress. She was surprised to see familiar paper with pink ruffled edges. The girl swallowed and looked at Hiro. “I was having an attack,” she told him. Hiro stopped typing to listen to her. “Normally it takes doctors days to revive me from an attack.” Hiro turned his head away, but the girl was now confused. “Did you save me?”
Hiro glanced at her, but then looked back at the laptop, continuing to type. The girl watched him, but he never answered.
“Your name is Hiroshima, right?” She asked.
Hiro paused again, but then nodded once and continued to type. The girl tiled her head. “Aren’t you going to ask what my name is?” She asked. “You’re at a disadvantage.”
Hiro sighed, typing a little more and hitting one last button before looked at her. “For me, that disadvantage can save your life,” he told her. “If you insist on giving me a name then make it fake, not that it matters now.” He looked at the computer. “I used a scrap of your DNA to find out who you are, where you live, and what your real condition is.” He tapped the round device attached to the laptop. “This here allows me to take the information of your DNA and find out all information that there is about you. Normally I would not do such a thing. If I learn your name you will be in danger, but I needed to learn of your condition so I could help you.” Hiro stood up and went to the wall. There was a click and then a ring of dim lanterns lit up. The girl looked up at them in surprise.
“I saved you from the heart failure you were experiencing,” he said, turning to look at the girl. “But I also learned your name. In my history those people whose names I learn die terrible deaths.” He saw the girl give a start and Hiro looked away. “If you give me a nickname to call you it should help spare your life. I do not want to kill you.”
“I’m already dying,” said the girl, looking at Hiro fearfully. “Tell me… did my DNA tell you… everything about me?” she saw Hiro lower his head, but then he slowly crossed his arms.
“Yes,” he replied quietly. “I can say I’m surprised. I had no idea you were an orphan.” The girl looked at the floor sadly. “For the life of me I don’t understand how you got to the hospital for treatment,” Hiro continued. “I can only assume someone in this neighborhood kept an eye on you and helped you out.”
The girl bit her lip and nodded. “A nice old man kept an eye on me,” she whispered. “He never told anyone about me since many people have come to find me and take me away to an orphanage. The nice old man knew I was waiting, so he would feed me, bring me clothes, and keep me healthy. When I had an attack he would take me to the hospital.”
Hiro was watching the wall with a hollow expression. “And he last brought you to the hospital… when?”
The girl ducked her head. “About a week ago,” she whispered. “I… I was very sick for sneaking out every morning in the cold weather. My attack was terrible and the doctors were afraid I would die. For days they did tests and the nice old man would visit me. I made him promise not to tell anyone about me. We were both scared I would be taken away.”
“That’s why he acted odd when I asked about you,” whispered Hiro to himself, but the girl didn’t hear him.
“It was surprising when that metal guy showed up to take me away,” whispered the girl, rolling over so she faced the wall. She pulled the blankets over herself as if cold and ducked her head. “I was so scared,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving me.”
Hiro placed a hand over his eyes. “It’s no problem,” he replied. “Now tell me what to call you so I can forget your real name.”
“I don’t think that will work,” said the girl quietly.
Hiro didn’t bother arguing. He returned to his laptop, closing out all the screens that were still open.
“Soul,” said the girl quietly. Hiro looked at her as she rolled over, smiling at him happily. “Can you call me Soul?” She asked it with a glow in her silver eyes. “I’ve always liked that name.”
Hiro tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling. He then nodded. “Yes, Soul,” he said gently, returning to his laptop. “You may have that name.”
Soul gave him an appreciative look before curling up in bed.
“My friends call me Hiro, by the way,” said Hiro quietly. “I would be glad if you called me that as well. Saying Hiroshima all the time is quite a mouthful.”
Soul opened her eyes, finding Hiro to be looking at the ceiling again. She noticed that he was watching the lanterns. With a frown she looked at them again. “Are we in your house, Hiro?” she asked.
Hiro nodded. “And I am currently allowing you to stay here,” he told her. “I can’t stand it when orphans are left out in the cold.”
“I was doing okay,” said Soul, looking at Hiro quickly. “And I’m not abandoned here. I chose to stay here. I told you, I’m waiting for something.”
“May I know for what you are waiting?” Hiro inquired.
Soul was silent, but then shook her head. “I don’t trust anyone with that secret,” she said, hugging the pillow and laying her face in it. “Sorry, Hiro.”
Hiro shrugged and looked at her. Soul’s blond hair was still in a braid, though it was messy at the back. Hiro gave the girl a pitying look. From all he had learned about her from her DNA he knew the girl was in dire need of a home. Since he lived where she wanted to stay he decided to open his house to her. She had apparently witnessed her parents being killed, but there was nothing about who had killed them.
“That man,” said Soul into the pillow suddenly. “He said you had no heart.”
Hiro grimaced. “No, please don’t talk about that,” he said quietly. He knew she had her eyes closed, so he dared to place his hand to his chest. He bowed his head, gritting his teeth. Deep down inside the knowledge of his crystal heart destroyed him. It had always hurt him. That was the only true feeling he had. Pain. Sorrow. There was no good emotion inside of him. No matter how happy he tried to feel, he had no idea what the sensation really felt like. All he truly knew was sadness, pain, and fear.
The night passed slowly and Hiro surfed the Internet for hours. He wasn’t like others who did mindless nonsense. Hiro was focused on looking up information from historical sights and breaking into locked sights that may hold the knowledge he sought. So far he had only discovered a little and by the time the morning light broke through his window, Hiro was sucked into a long-winded explanation of heart failures and how to stop them. He was drawn out of his reading when he heard Soul yawn.
Hiro looked at her as she stretched her arms over her head. She dropped them to her sides and rolled over, looking tiredly at Hiro. For a split second she looked confused, but then the realization of who Hiro was and what house she was in returned to her. She smiled and waved her hand sleepily. “I dreamed about a giant cake covered in chocolate frosting with whipped cream decorations and small candies that were in weird shapes,” she said. “What did you dream of?”
“Nothing,” replied Hiro, looking back at his computer. “I didn’t get much sleep.”
Soul sat up. “No?” she asked. “Did you sleep at all, Hiro?”
Hiro was not used to hearing his name. It had been forever since he dared allow himself a friend. “No,” he told her, try
ing to recover from the shock of her speaking his name. “I was busy. Normally I sleep. I don’t know why I didn’t tonight.”
“Are you going to sleep during the day?” Soul stood up, straightening the wrinkles on her polka dot pajamas.
“No, if I sleep during the day…” Hiro faded to a stop, but then shook his head. “No, I’m not.” He looked at Soul who gave him a puzzled look. Hiro glanced at the window, but then returned to his laptop. “I suppose I should find something for you to eat,” he said. “Forgive me. I don’t often have food in the house.”
“Why not?” Soul walked over to Hiro, sitting close beside him and looking up at his face. She examined his ear, wondering where the visor and screws attached it to his head had gone. There were no signs of anything like that and Soul was confused.
“I don’t eat.” Hiro could feel her silver eyes gazing at him intently. It was a little awkward, but he tried to ignore it.
“Why don’t you eat?” Soul was awfully inquisitive. Hiro found himself wondering if she would be so curious if he had written back to her notes from time to time.
“I have no digestive system, okay?” Hiro massaged his eyes. “It’s weird, I know, but I don’t.”
Soul shrugged, but then tapped Hiro’s side. It made him jump, for when she tapped a hollow sound was what replied. “You have metal all over your stomach!” Soul said, looking up at Hiro. He gritted his teeth and stood up, moving away from her while wrapping one arm around his abdomen. “Is that what replaces your digestive system?” Soul watched him, but she could not see the cold expression on his face. “I don’t think it’s scary or weird.”
Hiro wasn’t sure what to tell her. He could have told her everything. She already knew a lot. But how much knowledge would be too much? Hiro looked at his hands sadly. “Can you keep a secret, Soul?”
Soul actually laughed. “I’m keeping plenty from you right now,” she replied brightly.
Hiro looked back at her. “This secret has my life attached to it,” he said firmly. “If you speak of it to anyone I could be undone and killed.”
Soul’s smile sank. “Why would anyone want to kill you?” She asked.
Hiro lowered his head. “There are plenty more like Enimito who are out to kill me,” he explained quietly. “I cannot tell you all of my story, but I can tell you enough that will explain why I live the way I do. It may not be much information, but it’s enough to be used against me.”
Soul swallowed hard, but then sat on the mattress with her ankles crossed and her hands folded. “Okay,” she said, accessing the gravity of the moment. “I’ll listen and not speak a word of it to anyone.”
Hiro saw her determination, but somehow he doubted she could keep the secret. With a shake of his head he decided he had little to lose.