When Kenji started to get up the sky already started to darken. He felt cold through to his bones. Even though he didn’t want to move, he knew he had to. Except for looking pale as a ghost, there was nothing about his appearance that was out of the ordinary. Ken slowly walked home. Theoretically he would be right on time for dinner. However when he came in, he found that his family was nearly done eating, leaving him solely a few scraps. It was a good thing that he didn’t feel like eating anyway.<br/>“Looks who is finally here,” was the sarcastic remark flung to his head. “Avoiding to help with the housework is as lazy as would be expected of you. These scraps is all that someone like you deserves so don’t dare to find anything else.” It seemed like Kenji’s father had a particularly good day that day. “Lazy useless people like you don’t deserve more than this. Where would someone like you get hungry from anyway?”<br/>Kenji quietly sat down at the table to eat the few cold bites that were left. He knew that refusing or even wanting to heat it up would just unleash the next wave of insults. It felt like eating stones after everything that had happened.<br/>As usual the news was on and it showed a familiar smoke cloud. The news was about the explosion earlier that day. It seemed like years had past since then. “Too bad you were not involved in that explosion.” The nicest thing his sister had said to him in a while. “Well?” His father impatiently asked. “That is next to your school. So what happened?”<br/>“I don’t know. It was at the other side of the park. The cause could not be seen from the university.” Kenji’s voice sounded flat, quiet and lacking in everything. “Bullshit. How stupid can you be? Something happens in front of your nose and you are too stupid to go and look? What are we paying your school for if you can not apply any common sense?”<br/>“We were not allowed to leave the building,” Kenji answered with the same voice. His father would not hit him,but his insults usually hit deep.<br/>“Nonsense. If you really wanted to find out then you could have. You just didn’t want to. You are so useless. I agree with your sister.”<br/>With this the conversation was ended. As his family has left the table, Kenji cleaned up by himself. When it was his turn in the bathroom, last as usual, there was only lukewarm water left. The only comment that his mother had that evening was that she found that he was stinking.<br/><br/>Kenji stayed in his bedroom the rest of the evening. Usually nobody comes in so he was alone, lying on his bed. He did something that he has never done at home before. He reached beside him and formed one sharp needle out of the shadow and twirled it around above him. When he just started with his powers, he still had to touch the shadow. It was smooth and cool to touch. Now that was not necessary anymore although still possible. Ken grabbed the needle with his wrist and with one powerful swing, he rammed it into his chest.<br/><br/>Kenji looked as his empty hand. The needle had dissolved a few millimeter above his skin. Not even a scratch. Even his clothes were fine. Ken let out a sigh. He knew it wouldn’t work. This was something he had found out recently. His powers can not harm him. During a training session he had created a spike covered ball, which had been quite difficult. In a moment of inattention he let it fall and it was about to drop on his foot, surely it could have harmed him. However it had dissolved like the needle just now. It didn’t matter whether he was trying to injure himself on purpose or by accident, the result was the same. Kenji turned around. The events of the day kept spinning around in his head. It had been really close and really dangerous. He was sure that the criminal had already been injured before they met. Ken shuddered at the thought of what would have been the result if that guy had been at full power. The whole night he went through what ifs and all possible outcomes. Only when the sun started to rise, his exhaustion won and he fell into a dreamless sleep.