Chapter 208 - Dream

*Heart Beats Slowly*

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*Ears Ringing*

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*Continuous Heart Beat*

Hiro laid on the dirt ground, his body covered in cuts and bruises all over along with dirt, his military attire torn.

He slowly opened his eyes, seeing the red skies with bits of black, black snow falling from the skies.

Hiro blinks puzzled, was he really seeing the skies with his eyes? and not in aura? What was going on?

He forced his body up with a groan holding his wounded rib. 'These wounds how did I get it?' he thought with trembling eyes.

He then raised his head, seeing the destruction that lay before him, he gasp as his eyes went wide mortified by the sight.

Before he was burning flames along with a pile of bodies he couldn't identify or so he thought, rising to his feet he saw the bodies of all his friends.

Hiro's eyes in shock.

"Shino, Ten", tears filled his eyes, all the bio-genetics dead bodies were before him.

"No... No" he said shaking his head negatively as he drew backward, the back of his boot touching something.

He turned slowly and then his eyes lands on General Anzai's body.

"General Anzai," he said stunned, the tears falling on their own accord.

He looked seeing other bodies. Dr. Touka, Dr. Hachiro, Dr. Kashi, Dr. Kenta, Yukio, and Kaede.

"This can't be happening... this can't be happening" He chants with rapid breathing holding his head like he was losing it.

"It will... if you don't prevent it" A voice came from behind.

Hiro froze recognizing the voice instantly, but he didn't turn.

"Yuki"

A pair of mixed color bio-genetics eyes flashed open, consisting of red and blue.

*

Hiro gasp awake, flashing his blind eyes open.

"Finally you're awake... we have to get moving, I don't want General Anzai to scold us for being late," Ten said walking back and forth in the room gathering some things.

"A dream it was a dream," Hiro said with shaky eyes, but it was faint that Ten didn't hear.

"Come on Hiro!".

"Ten," Hiro said shakily.

"You have paled skin and freckles on your nose, right?"

At his words Ten instantly stop what he was doing, he turned to Hiro in awe.

"H-how did you... there's no way you can tell, you can't see things... I mean you only see our aura right?" Ten said for certain.

Hiro's eyes narrowed.

"I had a dream Ten... not a good one, and I think I might have seen how you guys look," Hiro said with shaky eyes recalling the horrifying dream.

'A dream that enabled him to tell what we look like, weird' he thought.

"Well, what did you dream about?"

"It's not good Ten.. whatever it was I don't want it to happen," Hiro said looking up with sad eyes.

Ten gulps hard.

"Okay then... whenever you're ready you can talk to me about it," Ten said shifting a box, it mistakenly jolts the drawer open.

Ten blinks when he saw a headset inside.

"A headset?" Ten said puzzled, he got a closer look.

He gasps grabbing it, his glasses turning blank white.

"This was the latest model not out on market yet, able to house a mini AI in it!" he yelled with steaming ears.

"Yeah, my dad gave it to me"

"This is so awesome Hiro, any kid would have killed to have this".

A faint smile found his lips, there were a lot of things he had that any kid would kill for... funny it was now he understood the value of it.

"The AI installed inside is called Avatar but I only spoke to her once before black storm day, but now it's damaged," Hiro said melancholy.

Ten made a hmm sound assessing the broken headset.

"I have some knowledge about repair, I could help you with it except you wanna give Engr. Kazuya instead" he said with a nervous chuckle.

"No, it's okay... I will give it to you instead Ten" Hiro said with a genuine smile against his lips.

"Cool! Leave it to me Hiro will get this working in no time!" Ten said with a thumbs up.

Hiro nods.

"Come on we should get ready, Time waits for no one," Ten said continuing what he was doing.

He placed the headset in the box he was holding rushing downstairs, on the way he halts, his eyes narrowing.

'A dream huh?' he thought deeply, 'A dream where he saw what we look like... strange'

Hiro got off the bed, standing at the window gazing upon the view of Fukuoka, the breeze blustering inside through the window, he stood there lost in thought about the nightmare he had, one of his greatest fear... what could it possibly mean? And Yuki's words.

*

"It will... if you don't prevent it"

*

His blind eyes trembled, recalling what she said, why did she say those words and why was it her... she was the only one he couldn't tell what she looked like.

***

A few Hours Later

"What? You aren't coming?" Touka said stunned.

Hachiro nods.

"I don't understand" she intoned.

"The researchers will need me here, we have a lot to do here"

"Hachiro," she said with trembling eyes.

She then chuckled.

"It's the first time we're going our separate ways, we have been together for so long that it feels funny," she said in amusement but with sad eyes.

She met his gaze.

"Remember when we first met?" she began, smiling as the memory flooded in.

"Yes, how could I forget," Hachiro said with shaky eyes.

***

Years Ago

Tokyo General Hospital

"Make sure you check the samples," Touka said to one of the doctors, holding a file at hand.

The man nods walking away.

"Dr. Touka" she turns.

"The Director wants to see you"

She blinks.

***

The Director's Office

The doors slide open as Touka walked in.

"Sir you wanted to see me," she said with a slight bow of her head.

The elderly man smiled.

"Ha yes Touka we have a new member," he said.

Touka stiffen she didn't even realize another was in the office.

She turned to the side seeing Hachiro, His grey messy hair was shoulder length, packed behind, his eyes black.

"Hachiro, this is one of my top doctors, best here, due to your master degree she will put you through".

Touka smiled warmly at him, making him blink at her sudden sincere gesture, she only just met him, and yet she smiled at him like she has known him for a long.

"Nice to meet you I'm Kimi Touka" she stretched out her hand for a handshake.

"Ichigo Hachiro", he shook it.