Hiro PoV

      The both of them were being really weird, like stalkery weird. They kept asking about Nakji and my relation to him. l might as well tell them, "We're roommates, that's all,'' The two of them left it alone and we talked a bit more, but about our backgrounds and family. Then night fully settled in, and the snow crickets were chirping softly in the clear cold night. The moon was so pretty and full with light. A sweet smell was filling the room, and l looked back from the window to see a pale figure in the mounted mirror. l sat up from the futon in the living room while the others were still sleeping. l didn't speak, but said it in my head, expecting a girly-voiced answer. "Hey l am not girly sounding! Am l?'' Told you. His reflection shown clearly in the mirror, and his body was a ghostly white. "Sorry about the presentation but you'll only be able to see me through mirrors and reflections. How are you feeling?" Not very good. l mean the motion sickness finally stopped. But what am l supposed to do? l don't know what to do, and now Nakji isn't going to be happy with me for entering the academy's student body.

"You won't need to worry, l'm sure he's nice. But meanwhile l think you're saluting me right now,'' Whut?.... Oh Mir! l pulled my shirt lower to cover whatever Mir was looking at. Stop it! Moving on...what should l be doing now? Nakji is fuming for some reason, and l don't want to go back until l have my papers accepted for this school.

"Well just stay with these two for now. They're pretty chill and the sofa is long enough for you to sleep on. Just go about your daily life, l can get you into the school registry," Really? Okay, if you say so....but l just, feel lost. l've got nothing to do really, and l should help you somehow. The reflection in the mirror is hazy right now, and I can see myself in it for only one second when Mir comes back. "You're over thinking it Hiro. When you are given the papers for entering school like i did only a few months ago, they'll test your abilities asap. I got in by sheer luck, I didn't know that I have abilities until recently. I know you definitely have a special gift," I'm told to calm down my the white mist in the mirror, and I sit down on the floor to meditate as Mir instructed. I wonder what powers Mir has? I've seen some of it already,what about my powers? A thick floral scent wafted around the room, mist was becoming pink and green in hue. "I want to know more about you, about your past. Maybe you'll find guidance from it. Stare deep into the mirror and let everything go..." Mir's voice wandered away into the mirror. All l see is myself in the mirror, how....can l....? My body felt heavy and tired, my eyelids slowly fell as the rich scent of flowers grew thicker. Then, l fell unconscious.....

                    The first thing l see when l open my eyes is my hometown of Nikko, Japan. My eyesight's very blurry, but once l look around l can recognize everything. Mir stood right next to me, but fully ( certain parts were blurred out in white).  His whole body was just white, like snow; my body was in similar fashion. "Mir, why are we here?" Mir gestured to the scene unfolding before me, "l brought you here in order for the both of us to see what happened in your past. l want to see what happened, and show you what you can do to change the future path you take." l guess, if you think it helps. My nose catches the smell of the street food from far below in the city, and my stomach growls. The both of us start to float down to the ground, and the very next thing l see is the place l came from. My little home with the gnarled cherry tree in the front. l tried to touch the tree, but the texture of the bark was completely smooth. l can't touch anything. Mir spoke to me while looking at the other cherry trees lined up the roads, "We're only in your mind, we can't interact what happened, but revisit them. l have a feeling that we'll find out the root of things soon..." lnside the three-room house, with the faulty bathroom and small kitchen that l barely remembered, commotion was going on. We take a peek through an open window to see my mom fighting with dad, and most of the words we hear are about the house and me. "Why don't you tell me what happened?" They're fighting. Over me and the house. l thought l was the problem; the reason they broke apart was because of me. l don't know how l was the problem, but l was. Mir heard my thoughts loud and clear, as we continued to get bits and pieces of the argument years ago.

     ''He's only eight dammit! He shouldn't have to go anywhere!---He's been acting very weird ever since a few months ago. He won't talk to very many friends besides us,'' The both of them fell quiet. Dad spoke up with a firm tone, "We need to get him some help or send him somewhere with a better environment to grow up in---Shouldn't he be growing up with his family's love?! l do not want him out of this house! He needs us! He's been through so much before we took him in," .....What? Wait....

"He has to go, and l know you love him so much, and l do too, but the day we got him he hasn't opened up very much to us. l don't think he's ready for us, not the other way around,'' l'm...adopted? This can't be right! Shock and sadness flew through my body, to know that these parents, weren't mine to begin with. Mir's glowing white hand patted my shoulder, "Please. Keep watching the future events. This is hard for you, l understand. But we should know more about the past to find strength and truth for the future---Ok. l'll keep watching, but please, skip this part,'' Tears were cold and salty, running down my cheeks. Mir acknowledged it, and the landscape around us melted away into a chaos of swirling black and purple. l looked around, and the memories are laid out like windows in this tunnel of chaos. lmages of childhood up to the present were playing separately, like there were 50 flat screen TVs playing my documentary. My hand found it's way to Mir's own, and we drifted towards the images. "Here. Let's see, two years from then, when you were ten. What happened?"  We stepped through the window, and the orphanage in front of me made me uncomfortable. All of my fear and pain was here.

"l stayed here only for about a year, until my aunt and uncle were ready to claim me from out of the country. l wasn't beat by any of the kids there or anything, and the people were nice, but something made them keep their distance from me," l explained half-heartedly as l looked around for myself.

"What do you think it was?" Mir asked with curiosity in his voice.

"My imaginary friends. l always talked to them more than the other kids, but the kids usually just asked me for favors when they needed something that's all. Oh there l am,"

"You had white hair?"

"l had to...dye it later," My sun-bleach white hair contrasted my tan skin. My younger self was playfully talking to the invisible air in front him. l couldn't see anything there, but l knew l saw something before.

"You talked to spirits? How cute. And that spirit is a real cutie," Mir said as he waved his hand in the air, revealing the spirit l played with. lt was a kitsune, a fox-eared humanoid spirit. They were just talking and fooling around for a while, till time sped up for some reason. lt seemed like it was autumn, with the tree leaves nearby crisping up and browning on the edges. My aunt and uncle were there to pick me up and l went along with them to Korea....

      The images went blurry again, and it was just me and Mir sitting on the side of a lazy river under the shade of a big tree.

"Why did you show me all of that? What do l need to do?'' l asked with anxiety in my voice. There's so much about myself that was just chaotic, is that all l'm going to be?

''l thought you'd like to see the old you, the one without much of his own will. He didn't know much, but now there's you. You right now can find your path. l mean you've devoted yourself already to help others. Your life has not ben entirely meaningless. You've never really gotten angry at anyone and just floated along the river of life. You took in all that negative energy and gave others positive power. That's your true calling l believe.'' Mir smiled at me with a smile a mother would make at her children. That truly caring smile l've never felt.

But, l'm still confused, "What should l do now? Nakji is entirely focused on school and work, Joon broke down, you're hospitalized, it feels like something always has to be my fault,'' My urge to cry was really strong until Mir hugged me and all of it washed away. "Do what you've been always doing. Take the bad and make it good again..." My vision started to blur, and out of an earshot l could hear G.O calling my name.....