𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐞 ―𝐭. 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

3 || Beginnings

a/n: mentions of gore and abuse

───※ ·✟· ※───

"How did you two meet?" That was a question you were asked often by those in the gang. They would look up at you with sparkling eyes, expecting a story of fighting together with Mikey or some other badass scene in an action movie.

Most of the time--much to their disappointment--you would respond by saying, "I don't remember," but both you and Mikey knew that you did. Whenever you answered like this, the boy would simply smile and walk away. Knowing. Understanding.

You have known Sano Manjiro for a long time. From the day you both agreed to be friends, you followed him to many places, trusting in him in a way you never had before. He taught you the virtues of friends, trust, and making memories. Meeting him, to you, was the greatest moment in your life. But, that was your own selfish way of comforting yourself.

Because you yourself knew best that the day you met Mikey was also the worst day of your life.

───※ ·✟· ※───

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Crouching alone in the sandbox of your neighborhood playground, you, a second-grader, looked up to see the apathetic face of a boy. He had a lollipop in his hand and was pointing at your smashed sand castle.

"You're destroying it," he continued, stating the obvious.

"...It's okay because I'm the one that made it," you answered back, averting your gaze back to the pile of sand crumbling under your hands. It was a bright Saturday afternoon, perfect for children to play outside, and yet, there was no one but you and the boy. You had built the sand castle in hopes of someone coming by and playing with you, but no one came anywhere near you. Their parents would gently pull them back as they gave you a pitiful look and dragged your potential new friend away from the playground.

The parents always whispered to each other, "She's the daughter of the gambler. I see loan sharks at her door all the time. Best not interact with her."

So, you decided to destroy it.

"Will you build another one?" the boy asked, suddenly sitting down next to you. He was so close that you could feel his shoulder brush against yours, and you flinched, surprised, before you shook your head.

"I don't want to. No one will play with it anyways."

"I will." Widening your eyes, you whipped your head to the boy, mouth agape. He tilted his head at your reaction, but he didn't question it.

"Really?" you asked, leaning close. "Will you really play with me?"

"I just said I would, didn't I? Jeez," the boy replied, pushing your face away. "What, do you not have any friends? Well, whatever. I'm Sano Manjiro, but you can call me Mikey."

Nodding your head eagerly, you introduced, "I'm (l/n) (y/n)! Call me whatever you want!"

"Hmmm (y/n)...(y/n)," your new friend muttered to himself, testing out the sound of your name. "Alright, I'll call you (y/n). It's cute."

"Thanks!" you laughed, grinning from ear to ear. It'd been a while since anyone around your age said your name, and you couldn't help but feel genuine happiness. Maybe today would be a good day after all.