Love is Blind (for Terra)

In a moderately nice neighborhood, an old car drove down the street, turning into the parking lot of the apartment complex. The car pulled up to their designated parking spot.

24-year-old Kuro Chai stepped out of the vehicle from the driver’s side. Kuro Chai was a tall handsome young man with black hair and amber-colored eyes. He had the kind of face that drew appreciative gazes from the ladies (and some men). Kuro rounded the car to the passenger seat, where he pulled out and unfolded a wheelchair.

Kuro then opened the front passenger-side door, where his younger sister was seated. 18-year-old Kura Chai shared her older brother’s black hair and pretty face but had stormy gray eyes instead.

“Thank you,” Kura said as her brother helped her transition from the car to the wheelchair. She was then given her backpack before being wheeled up the ramp towards the elevator. The two lived in the apartment complex before them on the 4th floor (of 6 floors).

Kuro hummed pleasantly in response. In front of the elevator, he pressed the button. The two waited for the elevator to arrive in a comfortable silence. Kura was on her phone, texting a classmate.

[Terra]

At this point, a preteen girl stumbled through the room, one of her small hands on the wall. Her brown hair was messy and her shirt and jeans were dirty with the latter being torn in a few places. As she moved to keep walking, her foot hit something, causing her to fall forward with a loud thud followed by a whimper. The girl panted as she moved to stand shakily, trying to feel around for something to hold on to to keep herself steady.

The siblings were patiently waiting for the elevator. Just as it went ding and the doors opened, however, Kuro's attention was pulled to the side where a young girl was staggering. She was very skinny and dirty and looked like she might fall over at a gust of wind. Kuro's fears were proven to be correct when the young girl went plummeting to the ground.

Kuro winced. That looked like it hurt.

"Oh no!" Kuro pulled the chair back out of the way of the elevator so they wouldn't block anyone. He left Kura, whose attention was also now on the little girl. Kuro approached the little girl and knelt down next to her. "Hey there. Are you okay? You took quite the fall." He gently reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. His eyes meanwhile took in her face, inspect for injuries. It was during this that Kuro noted the foggy glassy look in her blue eyes.

Kura watched from beside the elevator, also feeling concern for the girl who had fallen.

[Terra]

Misao took a breath and visibly flinched when Kuro put his hand on her shoulder. She gave a quiet nod in response to the question of her being okay. “I’m used to it. Tricky to figure out where I’m going.” She said gingerly as she rubbed her forehead where a small bump was. Thankfully, the fall, despite being painful, didn’t seem to do too much damage.

Kuro frowned when the girl flinched. That really wasn't the type of reaction he expected from someone receiving help. It made him feel uneasy. Kuro was also beginning to notice that Misao's eyes weren't tracking him like a regular person. But he just assumed she was shy. Well until she said it was tricky to figure out where she was going. "Here, let me help you up," Kuro said. He took Misao's hand and gently helped her to her feet.

"Where are your parents?" Kuro asked, glancing around. Surely no would leave a young blind girl to fend for herself? Although looking at the state she was in, Kuro began to get a sinking feeling.

[Terra]

Misao quietly thanked him as she was helped up. At the question of parents, she bit her lip and shook her head. “I dunno. Probably home, but I don’t know how far from there I am. Been walking a while..” she muttered, the fact that she was a bit shaky was evident of having been walking around a while.

The sinking feeling in Kuro's gut deepened at Misao's response to his question about her parents. She didn't know where her parents were, and she had been walking for awhile? Quietly, he waved his hand in front of her face, confirming his suspicion that she was blind when she didn't give any reaction.

"Do you know your parents' phone number? Or what's your address?" Kuro asked, announcing his intent to help her find her way back home.

[Terra]

“Not really. Not like it matters much. I’d rather not go back there.” Misao said as she shuddered. She shifted around as she stood, unsure what to think about her current situation.

Kuro became alarmed at her words. He now recognized that she was running away from home.

Kuro turned his head to his sister, who was quietly listening to the interaction. They exchanged the quiet mouthing of words. Both of them wanted to keep the girl here until they could contact her parents or figure out what was going on. Neither felt comfortable sending the dirty blind girl off on her own where who knew what could happen to her.

"Well, hey, do you want to come in for dinner? My sister and I were just about to go up the elevator..." Kuro said. He was aware that the offer might have seemed a bit suspicious since he was a complete stranger, and he cringed at sounding like someone dangerous.

Next to the elevator, Kura gave her greetings. "Hello, I'm Kura," Kura said from her spot further away. "We're going to eat something super tasty."

(Sorry. XD I wouldn't know what to say to a runaway.)

[Terra]

(Neither do I. XD )

Misao blinked at the offer and opened her mouth to answer, but that was interrupted by the loud sound of her stomach rumbling. She quietly whined from the embarrassment and nodded sheepishly, rubbing her stomach with one hand as if to tell it to stop growling.