It was a slow day in the Aoi Sunrise Bakery. Actually, the slow day was nothing new. The bakery had fallen on hard times and was getting fewer customers. Chiharu, the head and only baker, just didn't feel like putting her heart into it anymore. Not since her eldest son disappeared...

Actually, she had a gut feeling where her son had ended up, though she sincerely hoped her gut was wrong. She had made sure that Valt would never go down the same path she did, didn't she? He couldn't have met PIXAL yet. It was too soon. Valt wasn't ready!

Still... there was a slight possibility.

She was gently awoken from her reminiscing when a stale burnt smell tickled her nose. It was then that she realized that a faint yet pungent smoke filled the air, coming from the oven. A quick look inside showed that the six formerly pale mounds she had put in were now as black as coal. Great. She burned her latest batch of bread again.

Sighing, she slipped on a pair of oven gloves and retrieved the tray. With one hand, she dumped the black loaves into the trash while waving a dish towel to disperse the smoke in the air. She fondly recalled memories of her colleague, Kamiko, the Master of Smoke. Whenever there had been a burnt food item or faulty transmission, Kamiko would just wave her hands and blend the smoke particles with the air until the smell was gone. Chiharu hadn't seen or heard from her or several of her former colleagues in years...

"Oh, come on," A voice grumbled behind her. Mentally cursing, she spun around in a fighting stance. She was really off her game; she hadn't even sensed anyone come into the kitchen. Her mysterious intruder wore a hooded stormy blue trench coat and creepy blue mask, both of which completely covered their face. They were facing the trash can with an air of disdain. "Why does this trash can look like it's where bread goes to die?"

Wait, what? It couldn't possibly be that bad, could it? But on upon closer inspection of the trash can, Chiharu had to admit her intruder had a point - the trash can literally looked like a bread cemetery. The last batch had been the fifth one she'd burnt that morning; not a single loaf had survived. Charred loaves teetered over the rim of the can, only serving to remind her how bad things had gotten.

Slowly lowering her guard, Chiharu sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid," She explained sadly. "Things have really gone downhill since..." She caught herself, lest she revealed too much. "Wait, why am I telling you any of this; who are you?"

Her mysterious intruder remained silent, fingering the black bread almost remorsefully. "Someone who's here to help," They said softly.

Chiharu raised her eyebrows. "Here to help?" She asked skeptically. "I don't recall putting up any signs or ads requesting help."

"You don't have to put out a sign to show that you want help," They told her firmly. "The look in your eyes and your body posture says enough. And this-" They kicked the overflowing trash can, causing a few loaves to tumble out. "Definitely shows you need help." They leaned down and picked up one of the charred lumps, letting it crumble to dust in their partially gloved fingers. "I mean, come on - this is just sad."
         
Their tone suggested they were telling the truth and that they did want to help, but they hadn't even bothered to tell Chiharu their name; the entire time, they hadn't even made a move to take their mask or hood off. "I want to believe you, but how should I trust you when you haven't even shown me your face?" She asked.
         
"You have every reason not to trust me, but I'd prefer to keep my identity secret for now," They told her. "How about this? If we can bake 500 loaves before 1 o'clock, I'll show you my face."
          
Chiharu glanced at the clock on the wall. It was currently 12:05 pm. She turned back to the intruder with a skeptical gaze. "That seems impossible," She said.
          
"If my memory serves me correctly, in the past, you've sold 1,000 loaves in half the time," They told her, sounding amused.
          
It was true. How they knew that, she had no idea. "Yes, but that was a long time ago," She said, exasperated. "A lot has happened since then; family drama, you wouldn't understand."
          
"Number one, it was last Christmas Eve," They replied calmly. "Number two, I understand family drama perfectly." Chiharu rose an eyebrow at that. "Number three, with your currently diminished skills, and my knowledge of the kitchen, we should be able to do it." They walked over to the back up apron hanging on the wall, kept in case of burning the other apron. Tying it around their waist, they faced her once again. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's make some bread!"

Chiharu stood stunned for a moment. A complete stranger comes into her bakery, says they're here to help, then just walks around the kitchen like they own it? For a second she considered reaching for the phone and dialing 911, but they didn't appear hostile, despite their bossy attitude. Plus, she was curious as to who exactly this mysterious helper was, with their apparent knowledge of the bakery's past. If they could actually make 500 loaves of bread before the clock struck 1 o'clock, she would learn their name - and their motive for helping.

"Come on, let's move it!" The stranger interrupted her thoughts, sounding annoyed. "Where's the hustle and bustle I... I've heard the Aoi family is known for?"

Chiharu heard the hesitation in their voice, but she didn't question it. She knew they would just brush it off or change the subject. Without another word, she adjusted the straps of her apron and flashed her new helper a smile. "Let's make some bread. Clock's ticking."

55 minutes later
Chiharu couldn't believe it. Not only did they make 500 loaves of bread in under 55 minutes, but they actually passed their goal: 516 loaves! And not only that, they were sold out! After the first customer had tried their latest batch, word must've spread, because Chiharu actually had to shoo lingering customers out the door when the last loaf was sold. It was the busiest the bakery had been in the last four months.

Afterwards, she turned to her mysterious helper with a triumphant smile. "We've passed our goal; now you have to show me your face," She told them with a hint of glee. Her eyes burned with anticipation. Now she could finally find out who this stranger was!

However, they didn't seem happy with her request. They were quiet for a few agonizing moments before asking bitterly, "You're kidding me, right? You seriously still haven't figured out who I am yet? And here I thought you knew me..."

Chiharu's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Know you?" She asked. She was supposed to know them?

"Yeah! You didn't pick up on my clues?" They asked, their hands slowly curling into fists. "The fact that I knew where everything was? Or the fact that I knew all your techniques? Who else would know all those things?"

Chiharu shook her head, feeling lost.

"Maybe this will help you out," They said in a voice that was even more gruff than their normal one. They untied their flour dusted apron and tossed it aside, proceeding to push back the two flaps of their trench coat, revealing their hips.

Chiharu's breath caught in her throat. Around their hips was a black belt with a gold buckle. A gold buckle in the shape of the Symbol of Lightning. The only one she could think of that could even possibly bare such a strong symbol was...

"V-Valt?"

Sighing, her son pushed back his hood and pulled down her mask, revealing a face that was so much different from the one she remembered him wearing. What was truly different about it wasn't the fact that it was surrounded by long blue hair in need of a haircut, or the fact that the baby fat she had loved was gone. It was the look of bitter disappointment in his once sparkling brown eyes.

"Took you long enough, Mom," He said softly.

Chiharu breathed heavily, reeling from this sudden revelation. Her oldest son, her missing son, was the one helping her in the bakery, and she'd had no idea! She was a horrible mother. "Valt, I'm sorry..." She said weakly, reaching out to him with shaking hands.

"Why, Mom?" He asked firmly, keeping away from her groping hands. "Why didn't you tell me about our family?" He held his hands out in front of him. An arc of blue electricity crackled between his palms. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Chiharu sighed. She should have known this was coming. "Because I wanted to protect you from what the power would bring," She told him.

Valt snorted. "Fat load of good that does me now," He growled. "I'm at the top of the most wanted list in Brazil, and the military is still looking for me. I went insane because I didn't know what I had; I didn't know how to control it!" He slipped the sleeve of his coat off of his left shoulder, showing her a pale starburst-shaped scar. "I have this and a matching one on my leg because you didn't tell me about my heritage."

The sight of her son's scarred shoulder and the mention of a similar scar on his leg terrified Chiharu. All this was because she kept their family's past from him? "PIXAL warmed me that the block would only last so long," She muttered remorsefully. "I should have listened..."

"Yeah, you should have!" Valt shot back. "Just be happy PIXAL found me, because if she hadn't, the military would have found me and run tests on me, or I would have bled to death in the Brazilian rainforest!" Tears glimmered in his eyes. "Mom, WHY... WHY didn't you tell me?"

He stood there, sniffing, for a second before Chiharu thought it necessary to cross the few steps between them and sweep her son up in a hug. He fought against her for a second, but he soon relaxed into his mother's embrace. "I'm sorry," She told him quietly. "I thought I was protecting you from getting hurt by the Elemental Power, but I guess I just delayed the inevitable. I don't have the power anymore, so I can't control what it does. I shouldn't have tried to control it without your consent." Tears dripped from her own eyes onto Valt's soft blue hair. "Please forgive me."

Valt was quiet. Chiharu felt warmth on her shoulder as his tears dropped onto her sleeve. All she did was hold him closer. She'd let her baby go once; she wasn't making that mistake again.

"It's going to take a while for me to completely forgive you, Mom," He said finally. "You kept a huge secret from me my whole life... that's not okay."

Chiharu's heart broke at this, but she nodded. "I guess I deserve that," She agreed.

"I'm not going to be able to come home for a while, at least until I get a better control over my powers. But while I'm gone, I need you to do something for me.

"Oh? What is that?"

"Don't let my absence control the bakery business." He pulled back slightly and smiled sadly at her. "I don't want to be responsible for anymore dead bread."

Chiharu laughed slightly. "Fair."

Valt wiped his eyes, then stepped out of the hug, leaving his mother's arms feeling cold. "I have to go - I have a lot more people to say goodbye to," He told her, reaching for his hood.

"You have to say goodbye to all of them?" Chiharu asked him.

"If I don't, they're going to think that I abandoned them for good," Valt told her firmly. "I've been gone for too long already."

Chiharu sighed, then nodded her consent. "Do what you have to do," She said, wiping her eyes. Her eldest son smiled sadly, hesitated, then pulled up his disguise once more and disappeared out the window.

She was left staring at his fleeting shadow. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she considered his request. Then she got out another bag of flour and readied the already dirty bowl.

The work day wasn't over yet.

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2105 words.

How much longer can I go on like this...
It's 11:25 at night.