Winds of Destiny: Falling ~ {Hawks x OC}

Chapter Three: New Horizons

Misaki sat alone on a park bench with her legs crossed, reading a plain covered novel. Gone was her standard gray pencil skirt and jacket bank uniform. A pair of high waisted black leggings covered her slender, shapely legs and short heeled, black leather ankle boots adorned her feet. A thin white and black plaid woven shirt with the sleeves rolled three quarters of the way up her forearms covered her shoulders, laying open over a light gray cropped sweater that barely teased a view of her slim midriff. Her long dark hair was loosely braided a few times over her right shoulder, the thick, slightly curled tail falling just below her right breast. A pair of large silver hoop earrings hung from her ears and a rustic bronze necklace with a large circle on the end fell down between her cleavage over her sweater.

The sound of laughter drew her attention and her light pink eyes lifted from the pages of her book to glance to the right through her long, loose bangs. A boy and a girl, both high school age, walked hand in hand down the street toward the park. The petite girl's head was ducked down, her long and curly blonde hair pulled over one shoulder. The tall and slender dark-haired boy next to her smiled down at her, laughing with a wide grin, his eyes closed in mirth behind his glasses. Misaki's gaze softened nostalgically as she watched them come closer.

The sound of fluttering wings behind her broke her abruptly out of her reverie and she quickly turned her head to look over her shoulder in a panic. Relief flooded through her at the sight of a few pigeons taking flight from the top of the playground equipment. Raising her book to her chest, she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, sliding her eyes closed and turning back around on the bench. When she opened them again, movement beside her drew her attention and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she finally noticed Hawks sitting beside her on the bench.

He turned his head to look over at her. "Thought I'd find you here."

Clutching her book to her chest, Misaki tried to slow her racing heart, choking out, "What are you doing here?"

He leaned back against the short park bench, turning his attention to the two teenagers converging on the west entrance of the park. "Eleven years ago, your parents went missing in Chikushigaoka. A week later, two toddlers were dropped off at an orphanage down the street from your old house. Both were adopted shortly after into different homes in the same neighborhood. They both walk through this park every day on their way home from school." His knowing gaze slid back to Misaki carefully as he asked, "They're your parents, aren't they?"

Her heart still hammering in her chest, Misaki anxiously stared back at him, her voice barely above a whisper as she replied, "How did you know?"

Scratching the back of his head, he turned his suddenly sheepish gaze away. "It wasn't hard to track down once I heard the story about their sudden disappearance."

Her gaze fell to her hands which were tightly clutching the book in her lap. She squeezed her eyes shut against the feeling of dread swiftly spiraling though her at the probable answer to her next question. "Are you here to bring me in?"

"For what?" His glib tone quipped in response.

She shot her eyes over to him in shock, not expecting his question, and she found herself a bit slow to respond, "Um—unlawful use of my quirk to inflict bodily harm on another human being?"

Hawks turned his head to gaze at the backs of the two laughing teenagers, now on the other side of the park. "They look pretty lively to me. As for the unlawful part..." He turned his gaze back to her as he asked, "It was an accident, wasn't it?"

Sighing heavily, she leaned back into the park bench, keeping her eyes trained down at her hands. "I experienced an awakening in my quirk when I hit puberty. Before then, I hadn't really tried Restoring anything more than a couple of minutes at a time. I didn't know what was happening, or how to control it. They were just trying to help me, and I turned them into babies. I tried, but I had no idea how to change them back, or if I even could. I was ten years old. There was no way I was going to be able to care for them on my own..."