One year passed.

It was summertime and flowers were in bloom. "Wake up Mia".

Light cracked through the window as Mia awoke to the sounds of villagers walking by. "Who's voice was that?" She thought, but immediately cast the question aside believing it to be nothing but a dream.

Beside her was Aira, sleeping soundly. "Good morning sis", Mia smiled as she stretched out her arms and yawned. She kicked off her blanket and stood up groggily. Walking over to a woven basket filled with clothes she picked up her kimono, and tied it carefully and feeling its warmth, the freshly washed scent filled her nose.

"Time to make something to eat", she thought to herself as she looked through an old wooden cupboard. The small cupboard was barren and had nothing residing within. "Hmm, I was planning on making a surprise breakfast. Guess I'll have to quickly buy some ingredients".

Mia looked back, Aira was still fast asleep and wrapped in a blanket. Nowadays it felt more natural for both of them to sleep comfortably, As in the past Mia never had a home or family, her loneliness was a thing of the past and the thought of being able to relax and be happy was something she was only beginning to enjoy.

Being careful to not wake Aira, she sneaked past the still-sleeping Aira and quietly put on a pair of sandals, the floorboards creaking with each step.

Moving ever so slowly she opened the front door CRE- she paused, looking back with a droplet of sweat falling down her forehead. Thankfully, the noise hadn't woken Aira and her plan was still in the green.

"Wooo", she thought to herself. "That damn door creaks at the slightest movement". The house was old, its creaks and cracks were expected. Mia then closed the door slowly behind her, being sure to not make a peep.

The sun was bright, and a slight breeze went through the air as she walked down the street. Today she felt invincible, a wide smile swept over her face as she continued her trek to the shopping district only a few streets away.

As she walked past a neighboring house she saw an older couple out tending to their lavish garden. Since being with Aira and becoming more open she gained confidence in herself. This past year has helped her immensely and given her a sense of place in the world.

"Good morning Mia!". She looked over and saw a man standing in the garden waving, his wife still nose-deep in plants. He wore a typical brown kimono, well, she thought it was brown but it was likely just covered in dirt due to his morning chore.

Mia stopped, looked over, and waved.

Over the past year, some of the village has become more welcoming to her and this couple was one of the few.

As she continued walking more villagers waved with a happy smile on their faces.

Ako village was a safe place, and their menial tasks were all they could ask for. It was a simple life for everyone, and no one complained.

--

She continued down the street, passing houses on her way. Plenty of people were walking by, doing their daily deeds or working.

Eventually, she arrived at the shopping district. Multiple stalls lined up and down the street selling everything between vegetables and apparel. The district was a flurry of trade, and many sought to sell their wares.

Immediately as she entered she saw the food stalls. Fruits, vegetables, and even meat, everything she wanted was easily available.

To begin, she went up to a notable vegetable vendor who was always having daily deals and bargains. The man standing behind the stall looked young; maybe 25 or so. He was much taller than her with short brown hair. Unlike the villagers who usually wear muted-colored kimonos, he wore a brown shirt with white linen pants. His defined and sharp facial features gave him the look of professionalism.

"Excuse me but I'm in the market to buy some vegetables", she spoke with confidence, hoping to get a good deal.

The trader looked her up and down and put his hands together. He seemed to look disappointed, but then... With enthusiasm, he shouted, "Young miss, oh boy do I have a deal for you!" He exclaimed while jumping in the air.

Taken by surprise Mia took a step back. What initially seemed like a tense confrontation was now much lighter.

The man bent down and began rummaging through a box, seemingly looking for something. WHOOSH! He popped up, holding a board with lettering on it.

"Little miss, this is your lucky day!" He shouted, still abundant with energy. "Today I have loads of deals on everything on this table. He pointed to every vegetable in stock with the utmost pep. "Right now for a limited time only everything on this table is thirty percent off!"

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Mia stood there in a daze, this early in the morning she was not mentally prepared to deal with someone so flamboyant. She looked at each vegetable carefully to not pick anything that wouldn't satisfy her.

"I'll take four potatoes and a couple of carrots please", she said.

The man stood there with a look of gratitude, rubbing his hands together. “Wonderful! Would you like a bag?"

She nodded and he quickly placed each vegetable in a paper bag he grabbed from a pile.

"That'll be seven copper coins please.” The man returned to rubbing his hands together.

Mia, immediately looking down, grabbed a small purse from inside her kimono, fumbling to grab the payment.

"Here", she said. She handed over the money and in return, he gave her the bag.

"Come back anytime!" He yelled as she walked off.

Now, Mia had the ingredients to make a stew that she thought Aira would enjoy. She smiled and continued back home.

--

Minutes later on her way back, she stopped, in that moment she felt an odd gaze fall upon her. She felt uncomfortable and thought to herself; "I need to hurry, Aira will probably be awake right now and she may be worried".

Mia picked up the pace and started to jog, her kimono wafting in the wind.

With each step, she was closer to home, closer to Aira. Still thinking about that feeling she got in the shopping district, she began to sweat. Odd thoughts crept into her mind as she remembered her dark past, and she prayed that it was nothing but her imagination.

Closer and closer she was almost there, back to that place, that place where she felt the most safe. With her breath now ragged she arrived. The house was the same as it was when she left, she turned her head and saw no one but the average worker passing by. Her heart felt at ease and she slowly opened the door. It creaked as usual but Mia didn't care.

"I'm home!". The door flew open as she entered, but where was Aira? Not asleep nor anywhere to be seen. A feeling of fright and anxiety crept over Mia as she frantically walked in circles. She dropped the bag of vegetables on a wooden table in the corner and began panicking. "Where is she??" With a stressed look on her face she tugged on her hair, nearly ripping it out. Mia stopped pacing, balled one of her fists, and slapped it on her other palm.

"Oh, she must've gone out looking for me, that makes sense". The calming thought put her at ease and she walked over to the vegetables. She paused, thinking hard she recalled a fact. "If she left to go look for me and I came back here... Then she won't know I'm here, she won't come home". Her eyes widened and she turned around. Sprinting out through the door she ran down the street, dust following every single step.

In a stress-induced mindset, she sped past people, nearly running into some. Mia looked down every street she could until she reached an all too familiar area.

The backstreets of Ako village, a place known as the underbelly or the slums.

It was here that Mia faced most of her abuse from various denizens of the village, but it is also the place where she met Aira, so she has mixed feelings about it.

Still in a panic, she ran past prostitutes and crooks but had no mind to think about the dangers that could potentially surround her.

With each turn her worry grew worse, her thoughts could only go to the worst possible outcome. "Where is she? With sweat running down her face she continued forwards. Mia's mind focused only on Aira; she gradually lost track of her surroundings, every building seemed the same, old and decayed. Not a single house could be found that was in good condition, each lacked a functional door and had shattered windows.

This was the slums, the place where the forgotten and abandoned dwell.

Moments later she concluded, she was lost. In a sea of dread, she frantically looked around, everywhere the buildings looked just like the last.

The sun was going down, she had been looking for Aira all day, and she was at a complete breaking point. As tears went down her face, her mind was in a state of disarray and she didn't know what to do.

Mia stopped to catch her breath, she was worn and her energy was running out. With a pain in her chest with each breath she took, she heard something... "AHHhhhhh...." A scream in the distance, loud at first but slowly faded away. It sounded familiar, too familiar, much like... Aira's. "Aira's voice!" Mia's eyes widened and she shot up. She, now focused on the origin of that scream, pushed forward. Now sprinting, she headed down further, her sandals clacking with each step on the ground.

The screams grew louder and finally, she came to her destination.

Mia took a final turn and from her initial look of relief turned to horror. The sight she saw was haunting, Aira was lying on the ground, covered in bruises. Without a doubt Mia's mind went blank, horrible thoughts filled her head.

She blinked rapidly to regain her sight as the tears were practically blinding her. The shadows of pain danced within Mia and the voices of transients and other shady figures echoed throughout the streets around her.

She opened her eyes as wide as possible and clenched her chest. Down the alley on the ground lay Aira, breathing heavily and clearly in a lot of pain.

"Why?" Truly the only word Mia could utter.

Surrounding Aira were four boys, three of which, seemed oddly familiar.

A sensation of pain struck her body fracturing her senses. It all went dark, her eyes were darting back and forth and her heart ached.

The boys... Mobo, Ebrin, Oozua, and someone else. The three boys she knew wore the same clothes as in the past and nothing about them seemed to change much after that year, but she didn't recognize the fourth.

Just seeing them gave her flashbacks to the past, the pain and torment they put her through was unbearable. Mia fell to her knees, all the stress and pain came forth as she vomited onto the cobblestone.

She looked up, one eye closed and the other half open. Her thoughts were scattered and she had no time to think. Depression and pain swam inside her brain bringing forth deadly memories.

The new boy was considerably taller than the rest, possibly an adult. He had a raggedy black kimono that was tightly tied together.

He turned around and she was able to get a good look at his features, dark brown hair with both sides shaved, dark green eyes, and a scar going through his lip. Without a doubt he looked terrifying, every inch of him screamed criminal. She looked over at his hand and it looked to be covered in bruises, that sight solidified her thought. He had done this to Aira, he was to blame.

Mia crawled an inch forward, every movement gave her a painful reminder of her traumatic past.