[A/N]: WARNING
(Possibly triggering situations/topics ahead)

♠Six Years Ago♠

"Hey. You're in my spot."

Thirteen-year-old Hanta shot the stranger one of the coldest glares he'd receive in a lifetime.

Denki Kaminari, while sharing Hanta's young age, arguably had a lot more reason to be in this 'spot'–in his mind, at least.

If anything, it was a place of refuge.

Both of them had terrifying lifestyles that they sought to escape, and were on the verge of accepting their cruel fates.

Until...Their first encounter.

Hanta began interrogating his company, inquiring as to why he found the dark, eerie space below a stone bridge appealing.

"It's better than home."
Denki replied, turning to look at the teen.
"What about you?"

Hanta sighed, sliding down the mossy walls as he sat down.
"I guess you can say the same thing for me."

The blonde returned his gaze back to the palms that sat in his lap.
He stared at them until they blurred.
Until tears began to prick and well at his eyes.
"I-I d-d-don't wanna go back. It's hardly even a home."
His voice wavered and shook, as though he were crying out of pure terror.

Hanta observed his quivering, lithe frame.
Denki looked as though he were fed just enough to be kept alive, yet fairly healthy at the same time.

Hanta opened his mouth to speak, but heard another voice exclaim from nearby.

"There you are, little shit!"

The two snapped their heads towards the source of the stern voice, Denki's eyes widening in terror.

"What did I tell you about running away?"
The man stormed over to the smaller boy, as Hanta became dreadfully aware of the situation.

The stranger grabbed Denki by the arm, a chorus of sobs and whimpers escaping his lips.

Denki struggled against his grasp, pulling and tugging at his arm; but he was no match in terms of strength.

The man tightened his iron grip on the boy's arm, hellbent on dragging him out of the base of the riverbank.

Hanta had seen enough.

The blonde was so caught up in trying to release his hand from the man's grip--that he'd missed the loud, ear-shattering blast of a firearm.

It wasn't until his ears were ringing, that he'd felt a warm liquid trickle down the side of his face.

By then, the man's grip had loosened, and he tugged his arm free.

He staggered backwards as the man's body fell to the hard, concrete surface.

He slowly inched around to face Hanta, his heart skipping a beat when he'd caught sight if him.

Hanta...Was holding a gun.

He had the smoking  firearm pointed at the where the man once stood.

"You got stuff on your face."
He said, before switching the gun's safety back on and slipping it into the waist of his shorts.

Denki placed his hands on his face, feeling the sticky substance against his palm and fingers.

He didn't notice that there was so much of it before inspecting, likely because of the numbing heat that was coursing through his trembling body.

He whimpered and sobbed as he tried to wipe it away, but it just kept staining at his hands and face more and more.

"Stop."
Hanta said calmly, halting the blonde's frantic wiping and panic.

Hanta used the hem of his shirt to wipe away at the sweat and blood that smeared Denki's pale face.

Denki was still sniffling, but he wasn't as alarmed as before.

"Kaminari..."
Hanta began after finally clearing all of the blood away.
"Who was that?"

Denki chewed at his bottom lip, before gulping down a terrified whimper and stating,
"My...My dad."

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Thank you for reading part 10 of 'Flames & Roses'! Please leave a '⭐' or comment if you enjoyed!

[S.K.]