A Moment of Care

The morning light streamed through the dirty, cracked windows of the junkyard, casting faint, fragmented beams into the cluttered space. Dust floated lazily in the air, illuminated by the golden glow of the sunrise as Zane stirred on the battered couch. His body was a canvas of bruises and burns, and every small movement sent a wave of pain coursing through him. He groaned softly, cracking an eye open, only to find Kira sitting nearby, wrapping a fresh bandage around his arm.

"Take it easy. You're in no shape to move," Kira said, her tone firm but not unkind.

“Ugh… Am I dead, or did someone drag me into the cheapest hospital in town?” Zane muttered, his voice gravelly.

Kira glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Wow, you really know how to show gratitude.”

Zane paused, looking her up and down with a wry smile. "Listen, mystery nurse-" He glanced around the small room, then back at her. "—wait, do you have a name?

Or should I just keep calling you 'my

life-saver'?"

Kira sighed, clearly unimpressed with his sarcasm. "Kira."

"Kira, huh?" Zane smirked, trying to sit up despite the sharp pain that shot through his ribs. "Well, I'm Zane. You know, the guy with the bad habit of getting into fights with psycho cyborgs."

Kira raised an eyebrow, amused despite herself. "Well, Zane, if you keep pushing yourself like this, you're gonna have a lot more than cyborgs to worry about. But anyway, welcome back to the land of the living,” Kira said dryly, tying off the bandage with a practised hand.

Zane tried to sit up, grimacing as sharp pain shot through his ribs. “Thanks for… whatever this is. Do you offer this service to all the hopeless cases you find, or am I just special?”

Kira smirked, sitting back and folding her arms. “Special might not be the word I’d use, but sure, let’s go with that.”

“Lucky me.” Zane leaned back against the couch, wincing slightly. His gaze fell on her, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “So… What’s the deal with you? You don’t exactly scream ‘Florence Nightingale.’”

Kira’s smirk widened, her tone turning playful. “And you don’t exactly scream ‘grateful patient,’ but here we are.” She leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing in mock scrutiny. “You’re an interesting one, though. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone with your kind of essence mastery.”

Zane blinked. “Essence… mastery? Is that some kind of fancy way of saying I’m bad at staying alive?”

Kira chuckled, shaking her head. “No, Essence. The energy you channel—it’s rare to see someone wield it the way you do. Sloppy, sure, but there’s raw potential there.”

Zane raised an eyebrow. “Essence? You’re going to have to dumb that down for me, because all I know is that I’m pretty good at breaking things and getting hurt. Not all the time, but most of it.”

Kira rolled her eyes, about to respond, but the faint buzzing of Zane’s phone interrupted her. It vibrated insistently on the nearby table, its screen lighting up with a flood of notifications.

“Popular guy, huh?” Kira remarked, leaning back with a teasing smile.

Zane groaned, reaching for the phone. As he unlocked the screen, Kira’s curiosity piqued. She leaned closer, trying to catch a glimpse of the messages. “Interesting,” she said mischievously.

Zane noticed immediately and held the phone out of her line of sight. “What are you doing?”

“Just making sure you’re alright,” Kira said innocently, though the mischievous glint in her eyes betrayed her amusement.

“Yeah, no. That’s called invading privacy,” Zane shot back, narrowing his eyes.

“And ignoring someone who’s talking to you is called being rude,” Kira countered smoothly, her tone light and teasing.

His phone buzzed again, pulling him out of his thoughts. He groaned, smacking his forehead in frustration.

“Ugh, right. Kimiko.”

Kira leaned in curiously, her playful mood back. “What’s up? Something important?”

Zane sighed, rubbing his temple. “I nearly forgot. I’ve got to meet her tonight.”

“Ooh, a date!” Kira teased, her voice dripping with amusement. “So, what’s the deal with this Kimiko? She your type or something?”

Zane shot her a look, clearly unsure of where this was headed. “Uh, I guess? We’re friends, mostly.”

Kira grinned, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “Right, right. Friends.” She winked at him before adding, “Well, if she’s anything like you, she’s probably just as interesting.”

Zane shook his head, still unsure how Kira had a way of making everything sound like a joke. But as much as she drove him crazy, he couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“You know, she’s into spicy food. I’m not exactly a fan, but I promised her we’d go to that place she likes.”

Kira tilted her head, eyes lighting up at the mention of food. “Spicy food, huh? Sounds like a good excuse to eat something fun!” She bounced on her heels, her energy infectious. “I’m in. Let’s go crash your date.”

Zane raised an eyebrow, startled by her suggestion. “Wait, what? We?”

“Yep!” Kira nodded emphatically. “I’m not going to let you go alone. Besides, what if there’s another cyborg? You might need backup.” She winked again, her smile widening as she skipped ahead.

Zane sighed but couldn’t suppress the small smile tugging at his lips. “Fine. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have you around.”

“Exactly,” Kira said, hopping to her feet. “And don’t worry—I’m great with first impressions.”

Zane shook his head, pocketing his phone as he stood. “Somehow, I doubt that. But fine. Let’s go.”

As they headed for the door, Zane couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something deeper lurking beneath Kira’s playful demeanour. He knew her ability to shift personalities wasn’t just for show. There was a darkness inside her, one that connected with the strange energy pulsing inside him. He’d sensed it the moment he first met her—she knew something about his powers, about the essence he could tap into. And he wasn’t sure if he was ready for her to reveal it.