Strike Memoria ( Hiro's Point of View Part 2 )

After I said goodbye to Nyoko, I walked home with Ryuji following behind.

We both stayed silent until we entered the front door of my home.

Once the door was locked and shut behind us, I slid off my shoes and looked at him as he made himself as visible as a normal human. My mother knew about him after all, so he did not need to hide.

"Let's sit at the table," Ryuji said, making sure his shoes were off and hidden in case someone made a surprise visit. We both walked to the kitchen and he took my backpack which I often carry with me to hold anything important.

He opened the bag and took out the drawing Chie drew and placed it on the table.

He slid the drawing somewhat towards me so I could see what he wanted me to see. "I understand it could be a coincidence. But we can't risk it, kid. Her brother can dream of random shit that comes to fruition right? Who's to say she can't either." He explained.

"We'll just do something when it happens," I said dismissively. I couldn't think of another counter, I didn't even want to think about the dream coming true.

"No." He said sternly.

"Look. I know you're comfortable right now, but we have to think ahead if there's a chance they found you." His voice was powerful and serious as he stared into my eyes to make sure I understood him and took him seriously.

I rubbed my arm anxiously, trying my best to suppress my greatest fear as a child. We always knew it would come, but I got greedy and ignored it for the sake of being surrounded by people I love.

"So do we just leave again? Find someplace else if they found us?" I asked.

Ryuji leaned back in his seat and contemplated. "I want to say yeah, but if her dream of all of you is connected. I don't think it'll be that easy. We don't know if more people were manipulated into joining either, or if she brought more of her kind"

"They found us?" We both looked up to see my mom enter the room with wide teary eyes. She quickly walked over to Ryuji and looked at the drawing on the table. She studied it for a few seconds with a deadpan stare as tears slowly spilled down her cheeks.

She slowly looked up at me, the look in her eyes making me feel uneasy.

"She's alive? Who drew this?" She asked eagerly, her words already beginning to shake.

"His friend's little sister. She said she had a dream they were all fighting off monsters and he was talking to some of them. She drew exactly seven around him, and the colors match up." Ryuji explained, looking between her and me.

She moved closer to me, her eyes shaking as her lip quivered. It was as if I could see the events replay in her eyes. "So... They know? Hiro. Did you tell them?"

"No mother, I didn't tell them anything," I said, taking a small breath to stay calm to not upset her more or make her grow irrational.

My mother stared back at the drawing with shaking hands as her breathing slowly grew uneven. She whispered under her breath making it impossible to be heard.

"Yes, mom?"

She stared me in the eyes as she repeated herself in an audible tone. "They need to die. Kill them."

I froze at her words, I felt as if my heart stopped and I forgot how to breathe.

Kill them? My friends?

She looked at Ryuji, her body begging to shake more. "Kill them Ryuji. They're a liability. They'll tell them about us. No one can know about it, we have to keep him safe." She spoke as if she was in a trance, but her order to Ryuji still held power.

"Who knows how many could come for them, we can't let something happen to him again,"

I tried my best to stay calm as I and Ryuji made eye contact, but I couldn't stop my body from shaking. I was scared for more reasons than one, I was scared of what could come, scared of losing my friends. I didn't want either outcome.

But Ryuji has never disobeyed my mother, even if he was my guardian he'd listen to her instead.

The woman of any household was the top authority to him.

Ryuji watched me silently, ignoring my mother screaming at him to see to it that no one had a chance to sell us out, no matter how small that chance was.

"Let's discuss this a little more Tadame, can we?" He asked calmly, his eyes never leaving me.