Chapter 6

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Tenko and I exchanged a worried glance as an eerie voice answered us. Moonlight filtered in through the colored glass of the church, illuminating the dust that danced in the air. There were rows of chairs in the long space, all directed towards a pulpit and an altar, a large cross hanging above it.

"Who's there?" the voice called. I thought I saw a shadow looming in a hallway near the pulpit. I chose to ignore it.

"Ahem...," I cleared my throat. "We were wondering if we could stay the night." The shadow's weight shifted and a cold wind blew against our backs through the open door. Tenko and I took a startled step backwards.

"Close the door will you. You're letting in a draft," the voice said. The shadow moved again and Tenko let out a frightened squeak. Then... slowly... out from the shadows...

... a small hand revealed itself. It almost looked just as big as my tiny, six year old hands. I tilted my head to the side in confusion. I heard a click, and then a light flicked on, illuminating the dark church. A tiny man was revealed. He was wrinkled and his cheeks were sagging, but he was a little shorter than me, about the height of Tenko. He was dressed in a priest's outfit.

I heard Tenko stifle a laugh. I elbowed him and immediately he straightened up, a now serious look on his face. The man scuttled over to us. It took him a while to get to our end of the church. His legs weren't that long.

"Why are two children looking for a place to stay at a church? Don't you have a home?" he inquired, his old voice shaking. He had a plump figure, his eyes were so squinted it was hard to tell they were open. A tiny pair of round glasses sat on his round nose. He was either bald, or his white hat covered all of his hair.

I figured I'd be honest with him. After all, there was no hiding from God. "No, we don't have a home. We ran away," I said nonchalantly. Tenko nodded beside me, his hand firmly gripping mine. "I'm Jikan Ushiromuki and this is my friend, Tenko Shimura." At the word "friend" I saw Tenko's face light up.

"My name is Father Chris," the man replied. Father stayed silent for several moments. "Why did you run away?" he finally asked, beginning to guide us down the hall of the church.

Well, there's no way I could tell him it's because I'm from the future, and in the future Tenko is a horrifying villain named Shigaraki who murders my sister. I couldn't mention the fact that Tenko murdered his parents either, or anything about his parents death. That might trigger another episode.

"We didn't like either of our parents," I lied. It was an obvious one apparently, because Father seemed to notice. It hurt to say it, too.

"Hmm, okay." Father chose to believe it. "I have a couple blankets in the back for the two of you," he continued, "and you both can sleep on the pews." He motioned to the long chairs that were directed towards the pulpit. "Take a seat, I'll be right back."

Tenko and I took a seat next to each other on the pulpits. They sure were comfy and I was tired from such a long day, and sleeping on a cardboard box the night before. I opened my mouth in a large yawn.

"Jikan," Tenko finally spoke. "Thank you." He was lying down, his head closest to me, and he had dozed off. I smiled and ran a hand through his tangled, gray blue hair. Father had soon returned with two blankets. He laid one on Tenko, who immediately snuggled up underneath it. He then handed a folded one to me.

Father hopped up to sit next to me, dusting his coat neatly. "So, do either of you have quirks? I know you're both still young, but it's a standard question I ask for visitors," Father said, looking over at me. It almost made me want to giggle, the way his head was tilted up to look at me.

"Umm, well...," I hesitated. Tenko's quirk was dangerous. Would Father Chris kick us out if he knew the potential of Tenko's decay?

"Why don't I begin?" Father Chris spoke, noticing the contemplation in my expression. "I can change the size of my body, big or small. But I'm getting a little old and it takes a lot of my energy to change my size," he chuckled. I giggled slightly too. "This size is the one I'm most comfortable with, which is why I'm so small."

Something about the soft expression of his face made me melt. He reminded me of my mom. "I'm six, but haven't gotten my quirk yet," I began. This was technically true. "Tenko however..." I glanced over at him, clarifying he was asleep. He was peaceful, innocent. I couldn't out him now, no matter how kind Father Chris was. "He's only five. He has about another year before he should get his quirk." Most kids got their quirks at six. Tenko's got his abnormally early.

I don't know why I kept lying to Father. Every time I did, he always seemed to notice. Except, he always chose to ignore it. "Hmph," he nodded. "You'll both get your quirks soon enough. Where do you plan on going tomorrow? Your parents must be worried sick."

She was. I hoped my mom was. I waved off the question with my hand, shaking my head. "We're not going back," I said flatly, even though my heart longed otherwise.

"Well, you two kids can stay here as long as you need," Father concluded, hopping off the pew. He then turned to look up at me, an inquisitive look on his face. "You seem very mature for your age. I wonder where you got it from..."

"Am I?" I immediately intercepted the thought. "I never really noticed." Father and I held eye contact for several moments, before he exhaled a small puff of air.

"You get a good night's rest. You seem tired. I'll wake you both up in the morning for breakfast." My stomach growled. I hadn't even realized the only thing I've eaten all day was a coffee flavored lollipop until Father mentioned breakfast. He walked towards the hallway he arrived in, flipped off the lights, and exited.

I was left dusted in the moonlight, all alone except for the soft breathing of Tenko next to me. My eyes became heavy. I slipped off my shoes, resting them on the floor. I laid down, my head towards the end of the pew, and my feet towards Tenko. The world then went dark.

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