Third person pov

Harper's mind was swimming, so foggy and unsure. She'd never felt so stranded in her entire eight years of living. She knew she was young and that there was a lot she didn't know, but Harper still comprehended what had happened. Maybe not in its entirety, but enough to know that her brother probably wasn't okay. It wasn't like him to disappear. He was a home-body-- he loved being at home and around his family. There was no way he'd just vanish. Someone had taken him-- someone Harper knew. She was sure it was Atsuhiro Sako who'd stolen her brother away from her.

She wanted to cry. And she had been. For the last week, she'd found herself sinking into a pit of grief. The deeper she got, the more her world dimmed. The hope that Eric would come home safely was seeping away gradually. Her parents were becoming depressed. They didn't think Eric was going to come back. They thought they'd lost him forever. They did their best to put on a front for her and stay positive, but Harper wasn't as naive as they assumed. She knew it wasn't likely her brother was okay. And that... that scared her. A lot. 

"Where are we going?" Harper asked quietly, her backpack thumping rhythmically against her back as she walked after Inasa. The pair of eight-year-olds had long since passed Inasa's street, instead continuing forward at a steady pace. Harper wasn't sure where they were headed exactly, but she was convinced it was important. Inasa was loud and sometimes acted like an idiot, but she'd learned a long time ago that he was a lot smarter than he first appeared. It was moments like these she wished she knew how to use her quirk. Then, maybe, she'd know what he was thinking. And then perhaps she'd be smarter too. Smart enough to figure something out.

Harper would do anything to bring Eric back. Anything. 

She felt stupid right now, and had since Eric went missing. Like a tired, sad, hopeless idiot who couldn't do anything right. She'd seen and felt how distressed her brother was. Looking back, he had been so scared! And she hadn't said a word to him or to her mom. What if she'd asked him to stay in the car and go to the store with them? Then he'd still be here, surely! He wouldn't have... have disappeared. Now nobody knew where he was. Her parents continued to reassure her, but she knew they were just trying to make her feel better. The chances that he was... that he was dead were... she....

"It's just ahead." Inasa assured her, snapping her from her course of thought. He frowned when he saw that she was on the verge of tears. These past few days had been incredibly hard for her, and she hadn't been sleeping. Her concern for her brother grew with every passing hour that he was gone. Inasa looked tired, but not as much as she was. The boy felt a ping of concern for his friend. He wasn't close with Eric, but seeing Harper so shut down stung. He fell into step next to her, patting her head like his mom did to him when he was sad. He was tall enough for his age that he didn't really have to reach up much to reach. "Don't worry, Harper. I... I think I know where to find him. It's about Mr. Sako. I think I found something."

Ever since seeing that empty bowl of marbles the day Eric went missing, Inasa had known something was off. Harper had too, he knew. They'd both shared a horrified look, their eyes locking and a silent communication passing between them. Harper's mom had pulled her away before they could really talk about it. This was the first time they were able to see each other again. Harper hadn't gone to her last appointment with Atsuhiro Sako. Her mom had hesitantly tried to take her, but she'd begun to hyperventilate almost immediately, and she'd decided it was best they stayed behind. 

Her friend's words caught her attention greatly. She brought a hand up to wipe at her tears before they could completely dribble down her cheeks, suddenly feeling more awake and alert. She'd almost forgotten that Inasa had also seen what she had that day at his office. There wasn't a way to explain how either of them knew, but they did. Harper knew Inasa did. The look on his face had mirrored exactly what she was feeling, but she was being scooped up and carried away by her shaking mother before either of them could say a word to one another. Now, they were finally together and away from their concerned parents. Free to talk about whatever they wanted.

"What do you know?" Harper asked, her voice a bit louder and a bit scratchier than it should've been. The police officers who'd talked to her parents had claimed that the first 24 hour period after a child had gone missing was crucial. That, after that, the chances of finding him at all were slim to none. And if they did, the likelihood of him being alive was extremely low. Her parents hadn't known Harper had been listening at the time. Harper supposed that was for the best. They'd only worry about her more. Her mom and dad had been tearful and terrified waiting for news. Both had called off work and barely slept, jumping anytime either of their phones gave off so much of a ding. Harper couldn't say much. She'd been the same way.

Inasa bit the inside of his cheek. Harper looked nothing like herself. He was scared, honestly, and determined. Nobody listened to him when he said Atsuhiro was to blame for this, and he had a feeling nobody was listening to Harper either. If no one would look into it, that meant that they had to, right? What other choice did they have?! Eric was missing, and Inasa wasn't particularly close to the boy, but he knew him well enough to know he was a good person, and an even better brother. He loved his sister, and Harper loved him just as much. That's why Harper needed Inasa's help. They were young-- too young for this, he was pretty sure-- but he didn't care! They had to find him. For Eric's sake, and for Harper's. He wanted to see her happy again. 

So yeah, maybe this wasn't the most solid plan, but he'd thought really hard about it and tried to think of all the possibilities. They didn't have to put themselves in danger. They could be careful, and it would be okay! If the police weren't going to follow their lead, they were backed into a corner. There was no way they could just ignore this when the possibility of Eric being there existed! Even if it was just a clue and he wasn't there, that was enough motivation to get the pair of kids up and running. 

"I'm his last appointment of the day." Inasa explained, though Harper already knew this. She listened with rapt attention. "I... I went this week. I told my mom I didn't want to, I swear, but she made me! Mr. Sako was super weird. He barely talked the whole time. It was really suspicious." 

Harper nodded. She was sure Mr. Sako was the one who'd taken her brother. She wasn't sure why she was so dead set on it. There were a million other options. Dozens of other things that could've happened to her brother. This, however, made the most sense to her. Though she had no reason not to trust her counselor, it was clear in her mind that he was to blame for his disappearance. If they could get to him, they could surely get to her brother. 

Harper felt angry. Angry at herself for letting this happen, and angry at her counselor, who she was supposed to trust. Her mom and dad had told her many, many times that it wasn't her fault. Harper could tell her mom blamed herself, but Harper knew. She'd seen. Her brother was her best friend in the whole entire world, and she knew him better than she'd ever known anyone in her entire life! If anyone was going to pick up on him being upset, it was her. Yet she'd let him go anyway, and now he was gone. It was her responsibility to get him back, wasn't it?

"My mom and I take the bus to get there. When we were on our way to the stop, I saw him run past." Inasa continued, getting to the point of this. Harper blinked. Run past? "He seemed like he was in a hurry! I saw him run into a building down the street. Not that far from the counseling building! I was thinking..."

It clicked in Harper's mind, and she smiled a little. Inasa was beyond clever. If they could get proof Mr. Sako was behind this, they'd be one step closer to finding out where Eric was. Heck, Eric could even be in that building Inasa had seen the man go in! Harper felt her heartrate skyrocket. Was it possible her brother had been under the nose of the police this entire time, residing in the very same neighborhood he'd disappeared in? It was a terrifying thought, but a hopeful one. If she and Inasa stayed together, surely they'd be okay going and checking it out. All they needed as a bit of evidence. Something solid to report back to their parents so they could finally take them seriously! 

"Th-Then we have to go investigate, right?" Harper asked, feeling tearful. Eric... could they find him? Harper wanted nothing more in this entire world than to find her brother. She missed him. She missed the way he'd put her on his shoulders and tromp around the house, and she missed all the books he'd read to her while they sat in her bedroom. She missed them going on walks and trying to identify different bugs! The thought of her big brother being hurt or in danger made her feel sick. All Harper wanted to do was scream and cry. He had to be so scared, and so lonely. 

"Right." Inasa nodded surely, giving her a bright smile. Harper felt the pressure on her chest alleviate slightly, determination taking over. Her brother would tell her to be strong. She could cry later. After they'd found him, or at least some sign of him. "Now come on! Or else we'll miss the bus!" 

~~~~~~~~

The building was clearly abandoned, looming over the pair of kids imposingly. Mr. Sako's office was in a rundown part of town made up of American-style buildings, all constructed out of industrial brick and metal. Many of the buildings were nothing more than shells with nothing residing inside. This structure, Harper thought, was the same. Or perhaps not seeing as Inasa had seen their therapist go in. That only made this whole thing even more incriminating. What reason would Atsuhiro have to go into an abandoned building if there wasn't something waiting inside? It was entirely suspicious, and Harper felt something stir in the pit of her stomach. It felt like her quirk telling her they were on the right track, Harper was sure.

Harper wished her parents had listened to her. They were adults, brave and willing to do things like this. Harper felt horribly unprepared. Eight years old and terrified, she wasn't too sure what to do. All she knew was that she wanted her brother to come home and give her a hug. If they could just get Eric back, she'd be okay. Eric would do it for her in a heartbeat. He'd march in and demand to know where she was. He was shy and sometimes quiet, but he had so much more courage than anyone would ever assume. Harper wanted to be like that. She wanted to be brave and able to face any situation with calm surety. 

"This is definitely it. He went right through the front door." Inasa nodded at the building, his hands planted on his hips. His bus pass had gotten both he and Harper on the twenty-minute ride to downtown, where they'd then only had to trek a short way to get to their destination. Harper gripped the straps of her backpack with sweaty hands, feeling a bit scared at the prospect of venturing inside. Having Inasa here made her feel better. Inasa was strong, and though his quirk was hard to control, he at least knew how to use it. Harper's quirk was a buzz of white noise that gave her a headache in crowd. Jumbled voices all talking over each other until you couldn't tell anyone was even talking at all. 

"W...We'll  have to be quiet." Harper shook her head slightly as though trying to shake off her fear. The girl took a deep breath. Inasa was sure of himself and prepared to face whatever they found inside. If he could be ready, then so could she! For Eric! 

"Right." Inasa agreed surely. He bit the inside of his cheek, shooting Harper a look. He could tell she was afraid, but there was an unfaltering determination in her eyes that he couldn't help but admire. She wanted to find her brother, and she was willing to do things that terrified her to do so. He readied himself. He'd protect her, and help her find her brother. "Are you ready?" 

Harper answered with a firm nod, and with that, they headed inside.

The building was full of dust that immediately made the girl want to sneeze. Harper was careful not to, placing a hand over her mouth and nose as she quietly stepped in. The door creaked shut behind them, the noise seeming impossibly loud as it echoed through the empty building. It was huge on the inside, with a ceiling that climbed several stories up. As Harper and Inasa glanced around, it became clear this was no office building. The huge chandelier hanging down above the many rows of benches told Harper that this was, without a doubt, a church. One that clearly hadn't been used in a long, long time.

Inasa didn't say a word, instead looking to her as she took it in. Her eyes roamed the area, from the old, creaky wooden floors, to the massive stained glass window behind the podium up front. Cobwebs hung off of many of the pews, draping surfaces in translucent white. It was cold in here, the girl noted. It seemed... empty. Like there was no one here, and like no one had been here in a long time. But Inasa had been so positive this was the building, and the buzz of her quirk told her there were people nearby. But where? 

Harper's gaze dropped to the ground. Her eyes almost immediately found a trail in the dust. Inasa followed her gaze, finding the footprints fairly fast. The path had been rubbed clean of dust, shoe prints marking a path that went to the right and around the edge of the room. It seemed as though it had been used fairly often, and fairly recently as well. Harper's head rose, her eyes meeting Inasa's. The colorful window cast an array of blues and greens across his taught face. Harper was sure hers was just as tense. 

"Let's follow it." Inasa whispered so lowly Harper almost didn't hear him. Harper nodded surely, allowing him to turn and lead the way. 

The natural of ambience of the building sent shivers down Harper's spine as she and Inasa swiftly followed the gap in the dust. It was chilling in here, and an ominous feeling invaded her quirk like a warning. That didn't stop her from following Inasa. Her worry was overtaken by the wish to find Eric. Her and her friend stepped carefully across the creaky floor, trying to stay light on their feet as to not make any noises. There was no one here to hear them scream if they were taken. Harper's chest tightened. If Eric really had been taken here, had anyone heard him call for help? She... She guessed not.

The walls were pasted with wallpaper that must've been a rich emerald once. Now, it was dull and peeling, mold eating at the corners and edges. Harper wondered what had happened to make this church shut down. She'd only ever been to a few churches. Mostly with her parents who'd gone to support friends or help out with charity functions. This place looked like it had once been rather beautiful. Now it just seemed haunting. Like a scene out of one of the horror movies her parents wouldn't let her and Eric watch. Harper could sort of see why they banned them from doing so, now.

Inasa's gaze swept the area as they came to an open doorway that the path lead through. He hesitated, glancing to Harper as she came up next to him. Her brows were furrowed, almost like she was confused. He watched her hesitantly inch closer to the doorway, her eyes straining to see into the dark corridor it led through. It was dead silent in the church. If anyone else was here with them, they'd have to be standing completely still. Inasa sniffled slightly, swallowing a cough that threatened to break free when he inhaled a fair amount of dust. How could anyone stand to be here?

"There's other people here." Harper whispered lowly. Her quiet words sent a shiver down Inasa's spine. He tensed, gulping audibly. It sounded loud in his ears. He watched his friend poke her head through the doorway, her brows still furrowed and her eyes a little confused. He knew her quirk let her read minds, and he knew she couldn't really use it. It was too loud and overwhelming, she'd explained. Only when she was alone with another person could she really make out what they were thinking. Though she lacked the ability to pick different thoughts apart, it still helped her detect people's locations to an extent. It's how she always seemed to know when he was coming through the door at Mr. Sako's office. When he got close enough, she'd pick up on him coming.

The stench of mildew was enough to make someone lightheaded if they inhaled it too much. Inasa tried to keep his breaths somewhat shallow, bringing the neck of his shirt up and taking a few breaths through that in an attempt to filter out some of the must floating through the air. Harper stood silently, not elaborating on her comment. Inasa forced himself to be patient, instead keeping his ears open in case anyone tried to sneak up on them. The thought was a scary one, but it was definitely possible. 

"Can you tell where they are?" Inasa asked after a few moments, voice tight and barely louder than a breath. Harper bit her lip contemplatively, her face set with concentration as she tried to force herself to pick her quirk apart. The girl stepped through the doorway completely, her head slowly bobbing from side to side like a radar trying to pick up a signal. She seemed confused, trying to detect where her quirk was picking up these other presences from. It was times like these she felt most useless. 

Harper's quirk was trying to hard to unravel itself for her. There weren't many people here, so it was easier. She couldn't hear anyone-- just a static-like noise. Like a radio tuned to an empty station. She just lacked the ability to completely hear those thoughts, she guessed. That being said, she could still tell that there were people... somewhere. Sort of similar to echolocation, as her brother had explained it. He had experienced the same thing as her to an extent. A thought came her way, and she could tell where it came from because of what direction it flew from.

"I...I think they're under us." Harper realized. She'd been checking left, right, forward, and behind, but it hadn't occurred to her that there might be a basement. There definitely wasn't an attic. The ceiling was too high to allow for another floor, but they certainly could've dug down. She peered at the ground. That's definitely where they were. There were a lot of people down there, too. Harper turned to Inasa, feeling sure of what she'd just deduced. "We need to look for stairs." 

Inasa's mouth formed an O. He hadn't considered the possibility of a lower floor. Basements weren't common in Japan, really. It was prohibited by law in some places to have a cellar under a residence. He knew because his mom and dad had wanted to get one to store extra food and linens in, but had been shut down by the contractors who'd come to consult. This building was old, though. Could it have been built before it was illegal to have one? Or maybe the no-basement rule didn't apply to constructs people weren't going to live in. 

"Maybe it's down the hall." Inasa suggested. The dustless path continued down the dark hallway. Harper nodded, allowing Inasa to take lead again. The boy didn't want her to have to go first if she didn't have to. If they ran into danger, his quirk would allow him to send out a very strong gust of wind. Not a controlled one, but it would buy them some time to run away if they needed to. He squinted as the light lessened, sort of wishing he'd brought a flashlight with him. He supposed that would've only given them away, though. Maybe it was better he hadn't.

The hallway seemed to get narrower. They passed by several doors, but the path didn't seem to split off towards any of them. Harper's head continued to bop side to side as her quirk searched for signs of anyone. He kept his gaze forward, trying to ignore how fast his heart was starting to beat. Why would Mr. Sako be in an old church? This was getting weirder by the second. Especially with the apparent people underground. What were they doing under there? Was one of those people Eric? It was a good place to hide someone you'd kidnapped. Why would anyone ever guess to look in a desolate church with a hidden basement, right?

The path ended and split off through another archway. This one was wide and carved rather intricately. Looking down, Harper and Inasa could see that there was a rickety staircase that spiraled downwards. Bingo. That meant there was a basement, and that Harper's quirk probably was right. Inasa and Harper weren't sure if this was a good or bad thing. On one hand, Eric could be here. On the other, it was obvious he probably wouldn't be alone. Could a pair of eight year old kids really do anything? At this point, were they too far in to turn back?

Harper didn't want to go home without her brother. Something inside her told her he was here. No one was listening to them. Sako Atsuhiro had an alibi and had come back completely clean. But Inasa had seen Eric come up for his appointment. The video footage of her brother going into that alley had to have been forged. They'd have to get to the bottom of this themselves, even if that meant putting themselves in danger. Harper would do it. She could tell Inasa would too. 

"Do you want to go down there?" Harper asked unsurely. Her eyes were adjusting to the lack of light, and she could see that the stair's steps were free of dust in the middle. People had walked up and down them. Harper could feel fear starting to scratch at her despite the fact that nothing had happened yet. The people down there were probably dangerous. They had to be careful if they did decide to go down. What if they got stuck on the staircase? If someone came up the stairs or came down them, they'd be cornered. 

"Eric could be down there, right?" Inasa breathed out. Harper nodded, trying not to tear up. Inasa pressed his lips together, nodding to her. "Th...Then I say we do it. We have to know."

Harper nodded in agreement. The brunette couldn't really imagine leaving and just forgetting about this place now. There was a chance her parents would listen to her and come investigate, but did she want to take that risk? They'd never let her out of their sight again if they found out she hadn't truly gone to Inasa's house. That meant she wouldn't be able to come back and confirm whether or not she'd been right. Harper didn't want to risk that. She didn't want to risk leaving Eric here if it turned out he was downstairs. She couldn't. She wouldn't. 

Inasa grabbed Harper's hand, half for comfort and half so they'd both be less likely to trip in the dark. The duo started quietly down the stairs, stepping near the steps' edges so they'd creak less. Glancing down the middle of the spiral of steps, it seemed to go on forever. There was no telling how deep down the bottom was. Harper and Inasa didn't talk about it or try to figure it out. They simply kept descending, the only sound being their own breath and the patter of their small footsteps. The closer the got to the bottom, the more sound they heard. There was someone down here.

It sounded like a hammer being brought down, or something like that. This rhythmic clanging noise that blurred with the sound of what seemed to be a loud fan. It was colder down here than it had been upstairs. It made sense seeing as they were underground, but the chill was unnatural. Harper was pretty sure she could see her breath as they finally neared the bottom. Inasa also seemed to be shivering slightly, his clammy hand gripping hers tightly. Why was there such a lack of heat down here? Though it should've been a little cool, this was a whole new level of cold. An unnatural one that made Harper's heart sink.

The two kids risk saying anything. There was a door at the bottom of the stairs, cracked open and allowing a minimal amount of light to seep through. The sound of voices wafted through the crack. There were people sobbing in there. Others were chatting. Harper flinched backwards at the loud sound of a drill, sharing a worried look with Inasa. The boy looked pale, looking to her with widened eyes and a clenched jaw. Harper had the distinct feeling that they'd stumbled across something big.

Before either of them could make a decision to do anything, the clanging sound of someone else coming down the stairs sounded. Harper's breath hitched, panic washing over her in an instant. Inasa's head snapping to her as the person banged their way down the stairs, not seeming to care how much sound they made. Harper's free hand whipped towards the metal door before them, opening it just a little bit wider. Inasa got the memo and slipped through it, dragging Harper with him as he went. The pair quietly slid into the dimly lit room, immediately crouching behind one of the massive wooden crates by the door. Harper felt her breath leave her.

The room they were in was massive. Absolutely huge. It looked almost like the inside of a warehouse, with a tall ceiling and massive fluorescent lights that hung down. They were big and looked kind of like like UFOs strung from the rounded ceiling. On the far wall was cages. They were huge, stacking on top of one another. Though it was quite dark over there, the sobbing sounds were very clearly coming from that direction. Harper squeezed Inasa's hand hard, eyes darting around the room. There were crates and machines scattered haphazardly about. 

In the center of a room was a metal table. There was a big light hanging over it. Sort of like the ones she saw at the dentist office. It illuminated the table, which was outfitted with leather straps stained with something red. Harper swallowed dry, her wide eyes struggling to take it all in. There were a few tables by the metal table, all with various items on them. Saws, syringes, drills. There was a sink over there too, a hose poking out the back and trailing towards the wall. Harper's heart pounded. If that was blood... what they were using that table for, and those tools? Had... Had her brother---

Inasa nudged her before she could continue down that dark alley of thought, jerking his head over to the left. The edges of the room were hardly lit, making it harder to identify some of the things against them. Harper squinted, trying to figure out what Inasa had pointed her attention to. There were dozens of massive cylinders, all full of a sort of liquid. There were shadows floating inside. Were those... were those bodies? They looked disfigured, but she could make out the faint forms drifting there. Arms, legs, a head. She felt herself begin to feel sick. 

In front of those tanks were big, metal tubs. Harper had thought they were boxes at first, but a faint glow coming from the tops of them told her something was inside. Inasa turned to her with a frantic expression. He was scared and didn't know what to do, and she didn't either. There was no telling where they were. This had to be where Eric had been taken. Was he one of the people crying across the room? Or was he one of the people floating in those tanks? Neither were good choices. Harper brought a hand up to her face. When had she started to cry?

"My goodness." A smooth, painfully familiar voice came from behind her. Harper froze, paralyzed. Inasa stared at her, robbing of his voice. Harper swallowed heavily, her eyes clenching shut as her body shook with fear and the sobs she was holding in. "How did you two get in here?" 

A cold hand clamped down on her shoulder. Before she could scream, Harper found herself being sucked into a small, dark, quiet place. One where no one could hear or see her.