What I remember

She hears a low chuckle and sighs. "This isn't fair."

"Oh?"

"You seem to be able to figure me out right away. But, I cannot do the same with you." Sumire sighed frustrated.

"You want to know about me?"

At those words Sumire felt mortified. H-how come he knows already? This really isn't fair. Her thoughts break off when he brushed his fingers across her cheeks and smiled softly.

Sumire felt the same sensation in her stomach like she did earlier when she first saw him. Toh smiles often, but those smiles are the ones he shows everybody else. When he is with her, and others he care about - she has yet to confirm the latter. But, the smile he shows is different.

Sumire slowly nodded.

"Am I allowed?"

"Of course you are sunshine." Toh trails off. "I am sure you know after speaking with my grandmother, but I am her actual blood relation. The accident that happened, is the only thing I remember from my childhood as the real Mashima Toh."

"So, we are starting with a dark topic?"

His lips curved to a smirk. "Isn't that what you prefer?"

He is right about that, she prefers tragic tales over happy ones. He must have caught on after seeing all the books in her place.

"Ah-huh, but it doesn't seem right starting with this now."

"But, I'd like to talk about it and I know you're good at listening."

Sumire rolled her eyes at that comment and sighs. He must be trying to make her feel better about herself again. She slowly nodded and Toh started speaking.

"My only memory of the life that I used to have before is in a sea of flames, and people screaming. I don't know exactly how I survived but I do recall trying to reach my parents. When the plane started to malfunction I was on my way from the bathroom with my nanny. So, I was walking. I wasn't strapped to my seat. My parents were sitting near the front, and I was near the back at the time. As my nanny and I tried to reach our seats, somebody had already flung open the emergency exit. Being so small, and without any equipment. I presume I must have flung off the plane. The last thing I remembered was my mothers voice- it seemed like she left her seat, with my equipment in her hands. But father was pulling her back. When I came to, I was in the middle of a forest and covered in severe injuries. Alone, and in so much pain."

Sumire flinched hearing the last part. A vivid image of what happened in her own childhood appeared in her head. Their circumstances are completely different. But they both ended up in a forest, walking around alone, hurt and frightened.

Subconsciously Sumire found herself squeezing his hand, and Toh's gaze softened.

"You truly are kind."

She blinked startled at his words. "Kind?"

Toh nodded. "Yes."

'But that can't be true.' Sumire refrained from saying those words. Right now they are discussing Toh, she doesn't want to re-direct it back to her.

"I don't know how long I spent wandering before I found a main road, it was deserted due to the holiday season. However, there was a truck coming by to fill supplies to a nearby warehouse. That truck driver was the one who found me, and took me to a hospital."

"I see, but then how did you end up on the streets? Surely the hospital should have made some arrangements for you."

"The truck driver took me in, initially he only visited out of obligation. But he slowly became fond of me. Naturally I was happy to come with him. I lived in a small village beside the sea with him for a short while. However, eventually we had to move to the main city due to his work. That was when things became problematic. Living in the city is completely different from the country side. It was difficult feeding one person, let alone two. Then one day, I overheard him speaking to someone about his situation who suggested to sell me to a human trafficker."

Sumire's gaze dimmed. "So you ran away?" She said understanding.

"I was quite a bright child. I figured life in the streets would be better than whatever plans the human trafficker would have store for me. I didn't even wait for him to visit, and just left the night I heard the news." Toh trailed off. "Life on the streets was very difficult, and I had a hard time adjusting. Even with no memories, I was still born into luxury. My life with the old man was no luxury, but we had enough money to live a normal life. So, it was my first time experiencing poverty. It was hard but I managed to get by, and eventually I became a very popular thief."

Her eyes widened. "Is that something to boast about?"

Toh chuckled. "It was at the time. I went from nothing to, being able to seal without getting caught."

'I have been curious about his fighting skills this entire time. But if it is like what he is saying, then he must be strong. He wouldn't be able to slip by with just average fighting skills.'

Right now, he looks like a typical elegant, rich individual. But, he must also have a side of himself. A violent side- images of Toh kicking Sano appeared in her head. She only caught a brief glimpse, but at that time she felt the goosebumps in her skin.

"It was like that for a while. But then one day my benefactor found me, and offered me a good deal. I was skeptical but I had no real reason to refuse. I was getting tired of thievery and craved a regular life. So, I accepted. From that day onwards everything changed. He quickly found a family for me and I was Mashima Toh."

"When did you find out she was your real grandmother?"

"I saw a picture in her study off a young boy dressed in fine clothes. Due to my situation then, I didn't have many pictures. But the old man and me did take one together, and he placed it inside a locket. It was one of the few things I had taken when I escaped. I compared the photo of myself and the boy dressed in fine clothes. There was too much of a resemblance. By that point grandmother had been taking me around with her a lot, and many people said that they couldn't believe I was adopted. So, when she was sleeping. I stole some of her hair and blood, I didn't know which one would be more effective. So I had them both tested. It was a match, she was a relative."

"Why didn't you tell her?"

From his story, it seems like Toh found out much earlier than Mizusa-san.

*Unedited*