Food for Thought and the Thought of Food! Ren, the Innocent Kid is Locked Up!

The small town of Rocas Frías was nestled between jagged cliffs and cold winds, its cobbled streets lined with old stone buildings, not very contemporary. At its heart stood a police base—grim, imposing, and surrounded by barbed wire. The town was quieter than someone that knows they're guilty when someone else is being accused instead. But… an uneasy tension lingered in the air.

Taizen Kaizoharu strolled into the town, every step he took created an honestly pretty satisfying metallic noise. His messy silver hair shimmered under the morning sun, and his eyes were alight with the fire of curiosity. He hadn’t been in Rocas Frías for long before whispers were overheard, Taizen stopped to listen to them.

“Have you heard of the kid they locked up?”

“Yeah, I heard he's eight, and a sneaky little thief! That's why the El Plata restaurant frequently had missing ingredients!”

“Eight years old?” Taizen muttered. “What kind of people lock up a starving kid? I don't care that he stole food! Everyone needs food! That's like arresting a suffocating person because they breathed someone else's air in!”

Taizen wasn't the brightest or the best at analogies but he had the spirit. So he walked around and asked the townsfolk about it.

“The boy’s name is Ren. From what I hear, he was just homeless. They say he cried the whole time they dragged him in.” One of them said.

Taizen clenched his fists and frowned, he would not let this slide. His gaze turned toward the distant juvenile prison, its gates guarded by officers with rifles, but Taizen genuinely did not care. A memory stirred in his chest—a younger version of the confident tin can he is now, cold, hungry, and alone on the streets, before flashes of an experiment that changed his life forever hit him like a truck.

He took a step forward. “I’ve got a promise to make to this kid.”

Breaking into the juvenile prison wasn’t as hard as it looked, mainly because Taizen is simply that fast. Taizen’s titanium-enhanced body allowed him to easily leap over the barbed wire fence, crashing his metallic body into the courtyard’s ground and knocking out anyone who noticed him before they could react. He then slipped through the shadows… Well, more like, loudly dragged himself through the shadows, with a bag of food clutched tightly in his hand.

Ren’s cell was dark and cramped, its bars rusted and it had a cold, concrete floor. The boy sat curled up in the corner, his messy brown hair hiding his tear-streaked face, how could they lock up a kid like this? The other prisoners, obviously older and rougher looking, lounged near the edges of the cell, their eyes glinting with pure malice.

“Psst,” Taizen whispered, crouching near the bars. “Ren?”

The boy flinched and looked up, his wide, terrified eyes locking onto Taizen’s glowing silver eyes. “W-Who are you?”

“Name’s Taizen Kaizoharu!” he said with a wide grin. “Brought you something!” He held up the bag, the aroma of fresh bread wafting through the air, yummy!

Ren’s stomach growled audibly, but before he could move, one of the older prisoners lunged for the bag. “I’ll take that! It's mine!” the teen sneered, reaching through the bars.

Taizen’s hand shot out, grabbing the teen’s wrist and squeezing just enough to make him wince. “Hands off,” he said coolly. His silver eyes shone bright in the dim light of that nasty prison. “I don't remember saying this was for you. Ren needs it more than you do.”

The man backed off, muttering under his breath. Taizen slid the bag of food through the bars, and Ren hesitated before grabbing it. He tore into the bread, tears streaming down his face as he ate.

“No one’s ever been this kind to me before,” Ren choked out between bites. “Why are you helping me?”

Taizen leaned back, his expression as calm as ever. “Because I know what it’s like to be where you are. I used to be just like you, actually! I was hungry, homeless and forgotten, it sucks.” He tapped his chest lightly, the sound of titanium ringing faintly. “That life led me to some weird places. I don’t want you to go through the same thing, you might not be able to get a titanium skeleton too!” He laughed.

As Ren ate, he began to speak. “I didn’t steal the food,” he said quietly, as he chewed the bread. “I know everyone thinks I did, but I didn’t.”

Taizen frowned, his face displaying his dissatisfaction. “Then why are you here?”

Ren hesitated, then continued. “There’s this girl... Miwa. She seems to be about your age. She steals food from the restaurant all the time. I’ve seen her sneak in and out of the kitchen.”

“Did she frame you?” Taizen’s tone was sharp.

“No,” Ren said, shaking his head. “She didn’t mean for me to get caught. It’s my fault. I saw her stealing one night, and when she was about to get caught, I... I said it was me, that I was the one who stole the food. She ran, and they grabbed me instead.”

Taizen didn't say anything. He instead silently acknowledged that even though he would certainly not do the same as Ren in that situation, he smiled widely, recognizing that the kid he was talking to was a good person.

Ren looked down. “She’s homeless, just like me. I didn’t think it was right to snitch on her. And I didn’t want to eat stolen food, either, it's not right! So I just... took the blame.”

Taizen chuckled. “I see! So you are a good kid! Be right back, I'll just quickly find this Miwa girl, bring her here and get you both out of here!”

It didn’t take long for Taizen to track Miwa down, as he never gives up once he has a goal in mind. She was lingering near the back of the restaurant, as always, her sharp eyes searching for an opening. She was tall for her age, a little bit taller than Taizen, with short black hair and a determined scowl.

“You’re Miwa, right?” Taizen called out, stepping into the alley.

She froze, her hand halfway to the restaurant’s back door. “Who’s asking?”

“It's not mommy or daddy, that's for sure!” He laughed. “If you're an orphan, I'm so sorry. Anyway, my name's Taizen Kaizoharu, Ren told me about you, do you know him?”

Her eyes narrowed. “What do you want? You gonna turn me in?”

“Nah,” Taizen said, leaning against the wall. “I want to talk.” He smiled innocently.

Miwa hesitated, then crossed her arms. “Fine. Talk.”

“I know what it's like to be a homeless orphan, with no food, no home and no parents or friends, having people avoid looking at you instead of helping. But you see,” He tapped his chest, then a clearly metallic noise was made.

Miwa’s eyes widened.

“Some maniacs experimented on me. Don’t ask why, I’m still figuring that out. That ended up giving me this titanium skeleton. I had no hope and fully expected to die, but I didn't. I survived because I’m just that tough and didn't give up, but not everyone gets a second chance like I did. We gotta look out for one another because this world is too cruel to handle alone! Ren stuck his neck out for you and that’s how you thank him!? What cowardice!”

Miwa looked away, guilt flickering across her face. “I didn’t ask him to.”

“I don't care,” Taizen said firmly. “You are coming with me and you are gonna tell Ren the truth. If you resist, I'll punch you.”

Sneaking back into the juvenile prison was a little harder with Miwa in tow, but Taizen managed, of course he did. He led her to Ren’s cell, where the boy stared at her in shock.

“Miwa?” Ren whispered.

She hesitated, then stepped forward. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I... I didn’t mean for you to get caught. I just... didn’t want to starve.”

Before Ren could respond, alarms blared through the prison. A squad of police officers burst into the cell block, guns drawn. At the front was a tall, muscular man with a cruel sneer—Officer Frank.

“Well, well,” Frank drawled. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a jailbreak.”

Taizen stared at Frank, unamused. “Ah shit, the welcome committee arrived.”

Frank’s eyes narrowed as he pointed his gun at Miwa and Ren. “Hand over the kids, or I’ll shoot. Now we don’t want that, am I right?.”

Taizen eyes widened mockingly. “Oh, I don’t know, do we?” Taizen grinned.

The officers behind him hesitated, glancing at one another uneasily. “Sir, they’re just kids—”

“Quiet!” Frank shouted. “These kids are criminals, and they will learn that crime doesn’t pay.”

Taizen stepped in front of the kids, smirking confidently. “Go ahead, try to shoot them.” Miwa and Ren immediately hid behind Taizen.

Frank raised his gun, his finger on the trigger. “Last chance, boy.”

Taizen’s voice dropped. “[Inherited Soul Technique: Merciful].”

The other officers froze, their hands trembling as they lowered their weapons. But Frank stood firm, his grin widening. “Nice trick, but it won’t work on me.”

He fired. The bullet hurtled toward Ren, but Taizen moved faster. His titanium arm shot up, deflecting the bullet with a metallic clang.

Frank fired again and again, but Taizen blocked each shot, his body moving with superhuman speed.

Taizen’s smiled even more widely. “That’s it,” his voice low. “Time to knock the goofy out of you."

Frank smirked, but his confidence faltered as Taizen stepped closer. “You don’t get mercy,” Taizen said coldly, yet still smiling. “Not after trying to kill two kids.”

Miwa and Ren watched in awe as Taizen stood tall, a shield between them and the man who had tormented them. In that moment, they knew they weren’t alone anymore.

As the moon rose over Rocas Frías, Taizen stared Frank down as the battle was about to begin.

To Be Continued...