BLEACH: The Dusk In Red

The light of dusk was setting on the school as the end of the day approached. Hyoma was walking out with his two other friends, talking about whatever they usually did until they got past the school gate.

"Me and Ai are gonna go to the Pc cafe, you coming?"

Remembering the warning he got from his father that morning, Hyoma shuddered. They ended up going their separate ways as he waved goodbye to them before heading off.

Just like before, the streets were crowded. Now instead of rowdy salesmen and street vendors, there were homeless people and even families living inside of tents. This was the life they had chosen, so Hyoma had no reason to feel bad, and yet, he felt awful about the sight in front of him.

'Fear can drive a person to do horrible things...'

Hyoma had no reason to be scared of what was going on, his home was special, so he couldn't imagine himself ending up in their position. But this lingering uncomfort was hiding in his chest, caused by the invisible burning's.

'Am I still worried for myself? Or for them?'

Yes it wouldn't happen to him, but his friends were still vulnerable. Ai and Arima hadn't opted to live on the streets making them susceptible to this phenomenon. Although it was slim, there was still a chance that they could die to the fires. That possibility alone was enough to make him scared not for his own, but their lives.

'I'll ask father if they can stay with us until it blows over. He won't let their families move in with us, but surely he'll give those 2 shelter, right?'

**

Hyoma looked up to the sky for a brief moment, taking in the soothing view on this chaotic day. Despite all the suffering on earth, the sky remained free and exhilarating, unburdened by the humans below.

Half of the yellow sun had already retreated past the horizon, with its faint red light scattering into the clouds, breathing its last before disappearing for the night. Strikingly so, a thin black cloud seeping from the earth, stood out amongst its red counter parts.

'Odd..'

Hyoma looked back down and continued to walk away, before looking back up at the strange cloud

'That's not a cloud? it's... smoke? And it's nearby too?'

With a sense of urgent panic, Hyoma began to run towards it. He was familiar with the area he was in, so finding a route to get their quickly without errors didn't take too long.

As he ran through the city streets however, he started to notice that the number of people were dwindling the closer he got. Even the ones that remained didn't look particularly worried, but instead didn't notice the pillar of smoke all together.

'Strange, this is too strange.'

The closer he got to the smoke, the more the seed of fear in his heart began to bloom as he realised that the smoke was coming from a fire.

And not any kind of fire too, but one big enough to burn down a house.

It didn't take him long, but once he reached the source of the fire, he froze from what he saw.

It was an ordinary terrace house, wedged in-between two other homes. The walls were slowly singeing as they turned black from the burns, and the windows were shattered, as ghostly black flames spilled outside, spewing smoke into the sky. Although they burned ferociously, Hyoma couldn't feel any heat from them at all and the flames weren't even spreading to the next building over.

'They're.. black??'

He quickly looked around, and noticed a stranger walking past the incident right in front of him. It was as if he couldn't see the house at all, until the roof suddenly collapsed in on itself.

The stranger jumped as he turned and looked at the source of the explosion, seeing Hyoma in front of the demolished house that looked like it was incinerated from the inside out. He squealed for a bit, before running off shouting about the burning.

The burning.. he had just witnessed the burning.

Panicking, he picked up his phone and called the fire department, although he doubt that they would be able to do anything now. The fire had long since dissipated and now only the burned remains of what could've been a happy home now remained.

**

Hyoma slumped exhaustingly on his bed, still shocked from what happened earlier. Although the fire department arrived and contained the scene, they were far too late. A family of three had already died in that fire, a husband, wife, and their daughter.

And he unknowingly witnessed their final moments.

'Black.. flames? They were black?? And that guy didn't even notice them whatsoever??'

The strangest part of it however, was that there was a fire like that almost everyday, and yet he had only noticed it now??

There was only one other reason for it that Hyoma could think of, but he wasn't sure for certain so he shoved it into the back of his mind. 

Someone knocked his door, which Hyoma answered. It was Bashira. He walked in before sitting down at the desk, while Hyoma lazed back down on his bed. Despite not needing a cane to walk around, Bashira used one anyway.

"So.. how was school?"

"The same as always. How's work?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

An awkward silence hung in the air as the two boys quickly ran out of things to talk about. Despite being family, they didn't know each other well. At least not since that incident. Bashira then asked,

"You were a little late today. Can I know why?"

Hyoma looked at him oddly, contemplating whether he should tell the truth or not.

"Father is gonna ask you anyway, so let me help you make an excuse. I know you were hanging out with your friends~"

Hyoma quickly grabbed his pillow and threw it at him, making him shut up. Hyoma's face turned pink from embarrassment as he said,

"Fine! Stop talking, I'll tell! I think I saw the burning happen right in front of me, although, I'm still not sure."

"The burning? You saw it? where?"

Hyoma told Bashira the street it happened, and the particularly odd thing with the man as well as how the fire was cold and it didn't spread. Bashira seemed to think about it hardly for a while, before responding.

"Fire that is invisible to everyone but you huh... I don't think you should tell dad about this. If he asks, tell him that the path you usually take was blocked off because of the burning. That should get him off your ass."