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| Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aftermath [Spoilers]; Fanfiction of the time between Corpse Party: Blood Drive and Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient | |
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| Topic Started: January 3, 2015, 3:51 pm (1,267 Views) | |
| Zaion | January 3, 2015, 4:58 pm Post #11 |
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FanFiction writer/Translator/Character Bio writer
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Spoiler: click to toggle Unknown Room – Real World – Yoshiki “You’re awake.” This guy is looking at me but I can’t see his eyes. The morning sunlight stabbing in through the window reflects off his rectangular glasses. He’s wearing a navy blue cotton vest over a light blue, collared shirt. I grit my teeth. “What the hell is this? Untie me asshole!” Yanking my arms only rattles the bed in response. Pushing his glasses back up his nose with his index finger, he walks towards the window. Closing the curtains, turns the room black. A little light leaks in between and around the pink cloth but is then blocked by him. He turns around. “This is the second time you’ve come here. I would assume your last visit should have been enough?” He grabs the chair from under the desk and takes a seat. I can barely see him in the gloom now. “Why do you care? Just let me go!” I yank my arms again, they feel a little looser than before. “Indeed, why do I care?” He gets up and pulls something out of his back pocket. I hear a flicking sound and a silver glitter appears in his right hand. “I suppose it was a slight gesture of kindness, after all nobody else cares about you.” *thump, thump The dull thump of socked feet crosses the carpet echoed by the sound of my own pulse. I’m sweating like mad now and rattling the bed harder than ever. “HELP, SOMEBODY, HELP!” I yell out at the top of my lungs. Last time Shinozaki’s mother stopped this guy from beating me into a pulp. Even if she’s not here, someone outside could hear me. I keep rattling the bed, each time the ropes feel looser and looser. *thump, thump He’s right next to me, looking down at me. All I can see is his outline and the glint of his glasses. I yank one last time and my arms come free. I push myself up and grab at the ropes around my chest. I yank and tug but every time I pull I feel like I’m getting more tangled up. The ropes that were just holding me down are now squeezing my legs. They feel numb. I thrash my legs trying to get them free and a knot on my chest comes undone. It releases a rope that was around my collar which snaps up under my chin. I grab at it just before it reaches my neck and I’m yanked back down onto the bed. My hands that were tied to the bed post are now stuck holding onto the rope trying to strangle me. My fingers burn as the rope creaks, almost hungrily. This entire time this guy hasn’t moved at all, just standing there. Even now he’s just watching me, like a child watching a worm wriggling and drying out under the sun. I try to free my legs but that only makes the rope around my neck tighten. “Why did you come back here?” He asks, calmly. “Why don’t you run away?” “That’s... none... of... your... business!” I gasp out as I struggle with the rope. My knuckles are scraping my chin. It feels as if someone was winding up a winch attached the rope. Every moment it slipped a little was another one I couldn’t get back. His right hand moves over my chest, he holds the knife in a reverse grip. It hovers over the middle of my chest. “What are you willing to do for Shinozaki Ayumi?” He’s leaning over me slightly to position the knife. I don’t see any emotion on his face, not the slightest wrinkle or twitch of the mouth. “Kuh, hrrk” I can’t answer, my fingers are pinned beneath the rope. I might as well be strangling myself. What am I willing to do for Shinozaki? That’s obvious. I’ve already told myself what I would do for her. I’ve already told her what I’d do for her. That’s why I can’t just kick the bucket here. I can’t let anyone or anything stop me. I grit my teeth and pull as hard as I can on the rope. My vision goes blurry. I hear a snap and I lurch forward. I gasp for air a few times and then whip around to where the guy was standing next to me. He isn’t there, I hear the clack of a door knob turning and I turn back towards the door. He still has the knife in his right hand, but he’s not facing me. He opens the door and walks out without saying anything. I hear him turn down the hallway and then his footsteps grow louder as he climbs the stairs and fade away as he ascends. “What the fuck was that?” I breathe out. I untie myself from the rest of the rope and start to get off the bed when I hear softer footsteps coming down the hall. They sound as if they are wearing slippers. The half closed door creaks open again, and it’s the women who talked to the police last time. I guess she is Shinozaki’s mother. “I’m sorry about my husband, Ayato. He hasn’t had it easy these last couple months.” She smiles slightly. She wears a yellow cardigan over a white U necked shirt. Her hands are clasped together in front of a peach skirt that went slightly past her knees. She walks towards the window and opens them up again. “Ever since we lost Hinoe no one’s been able to look after Ayumi. He’s been worried about it for quite a while.” She opens up the closed window and lets in some fresh air. “You’re also worried about her, right? That’s why you came back here.” She turns around to look back at me, her eyes are blue like Shinozaki’s. “Don’t worry about her, you didn’t hurt her yesterday.” Her tone is quiet, conversational. I hadn’t even thought about what happened yesterday. Thinking about me makes my insides turn cold. I feel chills going up my back and goose bumps popup all over me. I’d seen those eyes before. Those pitch black eyes with no white. Those were Sachi’s eyes. What had happened yesterday? I ran here after reading about Hinoe then I... I collapsed in front of the house. I briefly remember that scratching voice, and the feeling of that small hand against my cheek. Sachi had been there, in front of me. After that I blacked out. Then I met Shinozaki and we... had sex. That should have made me blush, feel warm, or at the very least embarrassed. All I felt was regret and cold, like I’d been dipped in ice water. I wanted to go back and undo it, to stop it. That wasn’t right, that wasn’t Shinozaki, yet I... I... I feel a hand on my head. It tousles my hair. “It’s alright, you haven’t hurt her. The seal worked. Ayumi is still in Hinoe’s room. She hasn’t moved from there at all.” I look up. “It’s alright so breathe.” I’d been hyperventilating, I hadn’t even noticed. I take one deep breath and try to calm down. She said Shinozaki was fine. Then what was it that I had seen yesterday? “What’s going on, what the fuck is going on.” I feel tired, drained almost. I don’t care anymore. I just want to know what‘s happened to Shinozaki. Instead I’m just getting more and more confused. I need some answers, at this rate I feel like I’m going to go crazy. Her hand retracts from my head and clasps its partner in front of her again. “Do you want to know? Learning something you don’t want to can end up destroying you.” Her face looks grim, serious. Her blue eyes are narrowed, as if reminiscing a bad memory. “I don’t care anymore. I’ve already seen and heard stuff I’ve never wanted to. I don’t want to be running around in the dark. So, just tell me. What is going on here? Why is Shinozaki like that, what did I see yesterday?” I hold my head in my hands. She nods once. “I understand, I shall tell you, what has happened to Ayumi.” She sits down next to me, where Shinozaki sat next to me on the bed. Her hands remain clasped, now on her lap. “And what you saw yesterday.” “Ayumi was never able to move, ever since she was born. When she was a baby she was very quiet. She didn’t cry at all, I only knew when to feed her or change her diaper because her sister, Hinoe, told me. We took her to a number of doctors but they never figured it out. They said physically she was in good condition, much better than a person who couldn’t move their own. Hinoe used to take care of her the most. She seemed to know what she wanted or liked all the time. I guess she was more a mother to her than I was. I don’t know how you know her or why you say she’s your classmate. She never went to school.” Shinozaki couldn’t move since she was born? She never went to school? Is this also because her existence was erased? Did her entire history disappear, like Morishige and the others? But she’s here and her family remembers her, just no one else. “About what you saw yesterday, that was a shiki-gami. Ayato prepared it beforehand in case that child tried to bring in anyone from outside.” That child, she’s not talking about Shinozaki, is it Sachi? “Ayato said that it was a relative of ours. A child of the Shinozaki family, he didn’t know how or when she died, but we know what it wants. It wants a body.” I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I don’t want to hear it, but I have to ask. “Is she trying to use Shinozaki, to give her another body?” My fists clench, I feel that same anger I did yesterday. I want to just smash something, anything. I feel a hand on my shoulder. “Yes, every month she tries. The first one she tried to use was Ayato.” My chest hurts, squeezing. I want to explode but at the same time I’m too tense to do so. I just feel pain. I don’t know if I’m angry or sad. Feelings just swirl around in my head. If Sachi was here in front of me, I’d probably be trying to break her scrawny neck. I wouldn’t have cared if she was a ghost or not. Shinozaki’s mother takes her hand away from my shoulder. I’m shaking. “She hasn’t succeeded yet” She states calmly turning back to the window “and Ayato has created some seals and charms for her. You already experienced one. It’s meant to act as an “exchange” for Ayumi. She can’t move, but that child can draw people in either through dreams or hallucinations. The Shiki-gami merges into those hallucinations and focusses them on it instead of Ayumi. It shows whatever the person, inside the hallucination, wants to see, the creator of the hallucination as well.” Then, does that mean the Shinozaki I saw wasn’t real? She was just an illusion? That talk we had was simply something I wanted to see myself? I feel slightly relieved, at the same time I can feel tears slowly filling my eyes. That talk with Shinozaki wasn’t real. Just something I had wanted to see. A hallucination, a dream, Shinozaki had never moved from that room I saw her in the day before yesterday. Nothing had changed, not a single damn thing... But she also said the “creator of the hallucination” was being tricked as well. “Doesn’t she notice?” I ask. Shinozaki’s mother turns to look at me again. “I never said the child was a she.” Her blue eyes pin me for a moment before turning back to the window. “You know that child, what’s her name?” How much does Shinozaki’s family know about their history? Shinozaki never said anything about it, if she had known more she wouldn’t have tried out the charm on Saenoki Naho’s blog. Do they know about the Book of Shadows? About the Nirvana? Should I even tell them? “I guess it doesn’t matter, you were the one asking questions. Even if I knew her name I guess I wouldn’t be able to do anything for her anyways.” She interrupts my thoughts midway. “That child doesn’t notice because the Shiki-gami feels the same as Ayumi. It was made with strands of her hair and what’s more it shows that child what she wants. Her getting a new body, for now the prospect alone is distracting her.” So it won’t keep her distracted forever. If she’s still as powerful as she was back in Heavenly Host... “Now I have a question for you. Do you love Ayumi?” I blink in surprise, and turn to look at her. She’s still staring out the window. Her carefree way of talking and her attitude, it’s not like Shinozaki at all. She always felt responsible for everything, even things that weren’t her fault. “What’s that got to do with anything.” I don’t know why I’m being embarrassed, or defensive. I’ve already gone through hell for her, the answer is obvious. But I can’t say it. “I guess nothing really. I just wanted to know about my daughter’s love life. It’s a mother’s favorite past time you know?” I turn to stare at her. She’s staring out the window again but with a light smile. “Tell me what you know about Ayumi.” She continues looking out the window. What I know about Shinozaki? The Shinozaki I know, not this twisted backstory she has now? “Tell me about my daughter. What was she like? Why did you fall for her?” I turn away, this person’s randomness rivals Seiko. She remains silent, waiting for an answer. “She... takes on too many things, even things that shouldn’t bother her, ends up getting her into more trouble than it’s worth.” I don’t know why I’m telling her this. “She sticks her nose into other people’s troubles all the time, and gets emotional about it, sometimes... even crying.” If she wasn’t such a busy body I would have probably been expelled after hitting Tsubota. Thanks to her butting in, I stayed in school, and in the end I made some friends. I guess I can’t really blame her for that. “She’s brave thane she looks especially since she’s a crybaby. She wines and cries a lot but even then she tries her best.” Like the time she asked Yuki to take us back into Heavenly Host. Like the time she went back to Heavenly Host with Mist. Like the time she smiled at us in the core of the Nirvana. I don’t know why, but I ended up simply talking about Shinozaki for a while. What our class was like, the events and plays we held. Her bossiness as the class rep, her love of ghost stories, her infamy as “the ghost story class rep”, how she always carried around candles to improve the atmosphere of her stories. I even ended up talking about what happened in Heavenly Host, about Sachiko, about our friends. “She made us promise to meet up at school again, the next day. Said it was an order from the class rep.” The sun has set, it’s dark outside again. I ended up just talking all this time. Shinozaki’s mother didn’t say anything, she just sat there and listened. “I see, Ayumi really has some good friends.” The small smile she had ever since I started talking is still there. “I guess it’s late now, you should go home.” She stands up from the bed. “That child will probably try again tonight.” I grit my teeth, my fists clench. “Do you want to see Ayumi before that?” “Huh?” I look up at her. “I think Ayumi would like that too. She’s been all alone in that room ever since Hinoe passed away. I’m sure she would like a visit.” She begins to walk out of the room. I stand up and follow her. Shinozaki’s mother is standing in front of the door just to the left of the entrance. I walk towards it, put my hand on the handle, and open it. Shinozaki is there, the moonlight coming in from the window casts the half I can see in shadow. She looks exactly the same since I last saw her. She hasn’t budged an inch. I guess yesterday really was a hallucination. I walk over to her and kneel down so I can get down to her level. Her right eye is covered by an eye patch, the left is closed. She looks like she’s sleeping. “It’s time Kishinuma-kun.” I start a little, Shinozaki also called me that. Her mother used the exact same way to call me. I look back at Shinozaki, get up and walk towards the entrance. As I put on my shoes I hear from behind me. “Please be friends with Ayumi, even from now on.” I turn, and I see the top of Sinozaki’s mother’s head. She’s bowing to me, like you would when asking someone a favor. She raises her head. “Come visit us again. I’m sure Ayumi would like some company. I’ll convince of Ayato.” “Y-yeah, thanks um...” I don’t know her name. I’ve talked with her this long and it didn’t even cross my mind to ask. “Asuka, I am Shinozaki, Asuka. I look forward to seeing you again.” She smiles again. “Now you should really go home now, you probably don’t want to be caught twice in a row.” I shudder, I’ve been talking peacefully this entire time, but Sachi is still here. Her curse is still active. I turn to leave and push open the door to the entrance. I take one last look back into the house. Only the yawning blackness of the empty hallways can be seen. ... ... ... I get home, thankfully none of my stuff has been taken. I don’t think I locked the door when I burst out yesterday. I set the table upright again and pick up the file I threw across the room yesterday. Setting the file on the table I notice a voice mail on my home phone. I press the play button, Niwa’s voice starts coming out of it. “If you’re playing this I would like to notify you that you have missed your first appointment in our deal. I make it a policy of mine to take what I believe I am owed. Sadly there was nothing of value in your apartment so I have satisfied myself with placing a team of my subordinates to capture you when this message finishes. Please do not struggle I would like for you to be in a useable state when we next meet.” The door I had locked when I came in opens, I turn around and see 4 men in suits and sunglasses walk in. “Kishinuma Yoshiki, the Vice President would like to see you.” His tone doesn’t give room for negotiations. Gyuuuuuuuuruuuuu~ The one ending up answering them is my stomach. I sigh, “Sure, just buy me something to eat or I’m going to collapse.” “That can be arranged.” I walk towards them and they surround me, two in front two in back. I’m escorted to a black car, get in the back seat with the two who were following behind me and we drive off towards the city center, to PL LLC. Spoiler: click to toggle November Eighth, Shinozaki Estate – Audio Only “Hey, is this really the place?” “Yeah, creepy ain’t it? Building comes up outta nowhere.” “Fucking freaky, creepy shit been going on here.” “’Course it is. This is where that book was ain’t it, it’s THE Book of Shadows.” “Still dunno who ya got that weird ass info from.” “I nicked some books from that rich pricks place before she ditched the grave. She had some notes stuck in ‘em looking for it. This place was on one of the notes stuck in there.” “And you came here all by yourself, fuck man you got balls ha ha!” “Laugh it up, it’s ‘cuz of me you guys are getting a ride to the top.” “Bullshit, you’re just too much of a pussy to grab some broad on the street.” “The fuck you say?!” “Hey, hey guys. Take it easy, you know we all don’t believe your cult stuff, man. You just up and call us 4 one day telling us you got a once in a lifetime opportunity. So far it’s just another night of hunting, though one of them’s a bit young.” “Shaddup fucking pedo, we know you like ‘em young.” “The older ones scream too much, have to end up gagging them. Smaller ones are quieter.” “Ha, bet you’d love that one then, won’t make a peep.” “Guys, Jeez, don’t just leave us behind! It ain’t easy dragging someone up a hill” “Shut it, at least she’s moving. I had to carry this one all the way up here.” “Enough, let’s just get inside.” *Creeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaak “... This place give me the fucking creeps.” “Thought you were the tough guy among us, Tetsuya.” “He’s right, Sadanishi, this place isn’t normal. What did you say this place was again?” “It’s just a house, someone from their family used to live here. That’s all. Come on, we need to look for clues, split up, yell if you find something.” “What do we do with these two then?” “Just leave the girl at the entrance, she isn’t moving anywhere. The other one might know something, give her to me.” “She hasn’t said anything ever since we grabbed her. You’d think she’d scream or something.” “She knows she can’t run, plus with that seal she’s got around her throat she can’t try anything weird on us, either.” “The fuck’s a necklace gonna do.” “It does look painful.” “It’s cutting off her spiritual connections, she’s a Shinozaki, and also one of the Wiccan Institute can’t be too careful around those witches.” “Fucking, looney.” “Hey, guys. Look let’s just ask the pretty lady where to find this book and let’s be done with it. So, lady, know anything about this place, about a book?” “...” “Great a fucking comatose brat and a mute broad.” “Shut it, you go check inside, I’ll take the woman. Kodama, you stay at the entrance.” “Jeez what am I, the baby sitter. I already carried her up here and now I have to watch her too?” “It’s to make sure this one doesn’t get away. If she makes a break for it don’t let her get out of the building.” “What, you saying you can’t hold onto her, I dragged her up here, giver her to me. I’ll make sure you don’t lose her.” “Fuck off, you and Watanabe can check down the hall. Goto you come upstairs with me.” “Don’t order me around, fucktard.” “Calm down Goto, so me and Nakagawa will take the first floor, but what are we looking for exactly?” “We’re looking for a book, you’ll know it when you see it. Now go.” “Sheesh, so pushy, isn’t he Nakagawa?” “Let’s just go, unless you wanna do the girl while he’s away.” “Hey, hey, but that would make me feel bad, only me having the fun.” “Pedophile” “You wound my feelings, Nakagawa.” First Floor Hall – Shinozaki Estate – Audio Only “Seriously, this place gives me the creeps.” “We’ve all said that a couple of times now, Nakagawa just get over it. Let’s check in here.” “What is this a bathroom, yuck.” “Doesn’t look like there’s a book here, I guess the next one is the bathroom?” “Looks like you’re right.” “What’s that?” “Huh” “Thought I saw something in the bath tub.” “Don’t say that man, place is creepy enough already. Ugh, looks like some scummy water. You probably saw the moonlight reflecting off of it or something.” “No, I definitely saw something, lift up the cover a bit more.” “Fine, I don’t see... ! ! !” “Really, take a closer look,” *Splash! splish, splash “Are you sure you don’t see anything Nakagawa? Maybe you need to look a bit further.” splash, splash, splash blub blub blub “Did you find anything? ... Too bad, but at the moment you’re in the way, well I guess this tub is big enough... let’s just make sure you’re all inside... there! And now the cover... Perfect, now nobody will ever find you.” “Oh, hi little girl, I did as you wanted. Now do you want to play with me?” “What cute black eyes you have! ...What? You want to play doctor? Sure, I’ll be the doctor and...You’re going to be the doctor? Okay then doctor what do you want to do today? Oh... that sounds fun! Yes let’s do it. We even have two patients today. I’ll go get the other one. Where’s the operating table? Oh, okay I’ll go tell Sadanishi that. I’ll take Kodama to the kitchen before that. See you soon!” “Hey, Kodama!” “What, Watanabe, where’s Nakagawa?” “He’s checking out the living room, I’m taking over the kitchen but I can’t get the door to open.” “Why don’t you ask Nakagawa to do it?” “What you scared of going inside? Come on, the more the merrier right, the faster we get this floor checked out the faster we can go upstairs and help them.” “Jeez, really, I’m blaming you if Sadanishi gets pissed at me for this.” “It’s fine. Nobody’s getting out of here anyways.” Second Floor – Shinozaki Estate – Audio Only “This place is fucking weird, why doesn’t this shitty dresser move?” “Quit whining about it and keep looking.” “Fuck you, you’re just holding onto the bitch, standing around doing nothing. Let’s swap. You keep on looking in here, and I’ll hold onto her.” “No, if you roughed her up you might remove the seal, we can’t risk that. Especially in here.” “The fuck do you mean especially in here? You not telling us something?” “Hey, hey, guys. Whoa, really you should have thought out splitting up the group. You guys already have the worst chemistry.” “Watanabe, what are you doing here?” “The fuck is Nakagawa?” “Oh, he’s checking the living room. I just jogged up here to get you this key. Tried it everywhere downstairs but didn’t fit. Thought you guys might need it.” “Give me that! Hmm, maybe...” *thump thump thump, click “Well whaddya know really does fit this one.” “Let’s take a look inside.” “Hey, Watanabe, you sure Nakagawa’s downstairs?” “It’s an empty house Goto. What’s Nakagawa going to do drown himself to death?” “Shut up both of you. This might be the jackpot.” “What about Kodama and Nakagawa?” “We’ll get them later, first check this room.” “Fucking hell, fine place gives me the creeps.” *Creeeeeaaaaaaak “Somebody takes way too many fucking photos, ugh why’s the guy’s face all scribbled out in all of them?” “Hey, guys look at this!” “A safe, fuck man, looks pretty tight. How do we open it?” “We’ll just have to look for clues, start looking in the desk or...” *Click “What the fuck, hey Nakagawa how’d you know the combination?” “Just tried lucky number 7, that’s all. Looks like it really is lucky.” “Alright, let’s go down. This is it.” “Fucking freaky cultist.” *creak, creak, creak, creak “What the fuck is this place?” “Looks like a ritual chamber, but... where’s the book?” *stab “! ! ! COUGH, HACK Nakagawa, the fuck are you doing?” “Shhhh, don’t cry. It’ll all be over soon. Just...*splurt a...*scrape little... *crack more!” *SPLASH, SPLATTER, SPLISH, drip, drip, drip, drip “Heeeeeyyy, Sadanishi, you’ve pissed yourself. I guess you’re too scared to even speak right? It’s okay, I like it when they’re quieter. But, I think I’ll let your fate be decided by her. So, Hinoe-san. What should we do with him?” “... Let him go.” “... *Sigh Really, you are too much of a good person. This guy’s the one who had us kidnap you and your sister, you know. He’s also one of the guys in that group that attacked you in the other fate. Do you seriously think he’s worth letting go?” “... Hate only breeds more hate, suffering only breeds more suffering. This was supposed to come. I made it come by my own choice. He’s just an innocent bystander in this situation, just another person trapped by fate.” “... You Shinozaki’s really are something. Well Sadanishi, guess you get to walk out of this... but it’s quite a waste for you to have been walked here... and you really wanted to get the Book of Shadows. Oh, it’s here alright, just beyond that wall, break through it and it’ll be right there. The chronicles of the entire history of the witches.” *thump, stumble, scritch, scratch, CRASH “haa, haa, ha ha, HA HA HA HA, IT’S HERE THE BOOK OF SHADOWS! NOW TAKE THIS YOU SH...” *CRUNCH, drip, drip, drip. Thump “I know you’re happy Sadanishi, but was it really worth losing your head over it?” “... Well then Shinozaki, Hinoe you’ve already probably noticed that this time is different. Sadanishi was too busy trying to dig up stuff about the book to participate in the attack this time. So although they managed to ambush you, you managed to get away.” *thump, thump, splash, scrape “Ugh, what a messy eater, this book is. It’s got bits of you all over its lips Sadanishi. Anyways you’ve been here to make sure Shinozaki could reach here, eventually. She’s pretty empty at the moment, an easy target for a lot of spirits. But some things have to happen because they have to happen, and some things happen because they’ve already happened. I guess the character’s changed in this scenario but we’ll go through the motions at the very least.” ... ... ... “... I guess this is it then Hinoe, I’m not as precise as a magical cut but I think I did a good enough job. Now, to get the book back to its master.” November Ninth, Shinozaki Estate Watanabe Masaru, set down Ayumi outside the house, the book, cradled in her arms. "Well now I've got to go back inside now. Nobody's getting out of here anyways." Stepping into the estate the door shuts behind him. A childish giggle sounds followed by another, and another, sounding on top of each other until they blocked out all other sounds with giggles. The giggling stops. The firefighters arrive 30 minutes later, to find a girl clutching a book to her chest. And a house engulfed in red flames. No trace of blood is on the book. The car the 5 men used is not at the bottom of the hill. (For some reason the spoiler function stopped working here. I've tried typing in the command and pressing the spoiler button but it doesn't work.) Spoiler: click to toggle Niwa Aiko’s office – Perfect Life Promotion Agency – Yoshiki
“I see, so you ate the Nirvana.” Niwas Aiko sighed, her hands folded in front of her. After I had been taken in by her bodyguards I’d been taken up to her office at Perfect Life Promotion Agencey. Apparently she had called yesterday while I was at Shinozaki’s house. After I didn’t pick up she had sent some of her men to my address. When they only found an empty room with the folder left behind she had them wait there after leaving a message on my home phone. “At first I was going to have my subordinates clean out your room and liquidate any assets they could find.” She had said when I asked her why she set up an ambush for me. “But, since there was so little value to any of the objects there in comparison to your debt. So I decided I’d wait a little bit for you to comeback. Of course this waiting time is also going to be included in my interest.” The Mona Lisa smile she was wearing didn’t match what she was saying at all. Come to think of it she’s never said anything half decent while wearing that smile. “I find that incredibly difficult to believe.” She had stopped smiling the moment I started describing what I had found in the core of the Nirvana. How I had ran back into Heavenly Host, got the Ever After stones, and found Shinozaki. She seemed to be listening intently, but I could only figure that out from her posture. I hadn’t looked her in the eye since I came here. “Believe it or not that’s what happened. I’m not saying anything just to make me look good.” I put my hands on my hips and keep my eyes on her left shoulder. Just talking about it makes me feel sick. I’m getting a slight headache just from the memory. “That’s not what I meant.” She pinches her chin between thumb and forefinger in thought. “The Nirvana is a dimension close to the world after death, simply losing your soul within it is enough to erase your existence in this world.” She frowns. “Contacting it directly would kill a normal person instantaneously. Of course their existence would be wiped from our world as well.” She leans forward onto her desk resting her chin on the back of her hands. “As a survivor of Heavenly Host you don’t quite qualify as a ‘normal’ human being. That may be why you have survived but at the very least I would have expected you to be missing an arm or a leg.” “You said so yourself though, it’s not like I got out of there scot-free.” Niwa sighs and closes her eye. “You don’t seem to understand you situation at all do you? The Nirvana isn’t just a static object. If you were there with me you should have seen it, moving, writhing, pulsing. The Nirvana itself is, ironically, alive. It even has a degree of awareness.” Her eyes open and I quickly look to the side. “Even with its conscious suppressed it still has the capacity to defend itself. Only a person of either the right lineage or significant spiritual power could hope to overcome that.” She leans back into her chair, this time her hands rest along the arm rest. “Then how was it sealed then, if it’s strong enough to protect itself why didn’t it just kill me?” Niwa lips curve into a smile. “I remember very little due to her existence disappearing, but from what I do remember the awareness within the Nirvana was put to sleep. Without that it wouldn’t be able to preemptively protective itself, but much like a person’s reflexes protect the body from harm, the Nirvana should have some ‘reflex’ to protect itself. You yourself told me what state you found her in. That was the result of it protecting itself.” I didn’t check myself after I had swallowed it but I remember feeling pain, but when I woke up though I didn’t have any wounds or even scars. Shinozaki’s wounds were treated by the book. Did it treat my wounds as well? “It seems you may have some idea of what happened, would you care to share it?” I almost look back up to her but stop myself. In here information is power, there’s no point letting her steal it from my head with her hypnotism. “The book, it healed her. It might have done the same to me.” Niwa frowns. “That would be highly unlikely, the Black Book, the Book of Shadows is not obliged to protect you. You are not its master. You aren’t even of the Shinozaki blood line.” She holds her chin between her thumb and index finger again. “It wouldn’t treat you out of charity either it doesn’t fit its reason for existence.” “’Reason for existence’? Wasn’t it made to store all the knowledge of the witches or something like that?” That’s what Niwa told us in the beginning, Mist also said something like that as well. “That’s why it was made, not why it exists.” I palm my forehead, I was never great in school but this conversation is seriously testing me. “The Book of Shadows’ has its own will and its own “reason for existing” separate to its function.” “So what is it then, if it’s not just some magic book what does it want? What does that have to do with any of this?!” Niwa sighs again and leans back into her chair crossing her arms. “It matters because you are not supposed to be alive. Even taking into consideration you enhanced spiritual power from surviving Heavenly Host, you Kishinuma Yoshiki should not have survived consuming, or even directly touching the Nirvana. Therefore something or someone kept you alive, and unharmed.” She looks up and I don’t dodge her eyes in time and the purple gaze nails me to the ground. “What matters is why you were left alive.” She looks away from me and I can move again. I quickly shake myself and glare at the wall next to me. “If you’re worried about me using hypnosis on you don’t worry, trying to go back that far in your memories would be almost impossible while you’re awake.” I keep on glaring at the wall, I was careless and I don’t trust her. “The best I can think of is that either the book kept you alive so you could carry her to the real world, or the Nirvana allowed itself to be eaten.” Allowed itself? “Why, would it do that?” I turn back towards her, but avoid her gaze. “Who knows, perhaps it chose to be eaten by you to prevent itself from being eaten by a Shinozaki.” She shrugs a little. “The Shinozaki’s have long been the guardians of that book, and its contents. Their bloodline allows them a small amount of control over it. By letting you consume it, it could prevent itself from being eaten by her.” I feel a chill run down my back. “So what, is it going to come bursting out of me like some horror movie?” Niwa chuckles lightly, covering her mouth with her left hand. “It wouldn’t surprise me, in the event that it does, please leave behind any information you haven’t told me. If you don’t I’ll be forced to call your spirit back and take it from your soul directly.” My fists tighten. “I wouldn’t worry about it at the moment though, Mr. Kishinuma. If you were possessed by the Nirvana, or even harboring an evil spirit, I would be able to sense it. This building also has the facilities to remove most possessions. I would have to charge you for it though.” “tch..., I can’t get along with you after all.” I glare at the wall. “No, but this is a business talk, not a friendly chat. Regardless, this information should cover the cost of lending you that old folder. But you still have the interest to take into account.” “What?! I thought you just wanted to know what happened after you guys left!” Niwa’s Mona Lisa smile returned. “Of course I wanted to know that, but you spent so long getting back to me that I had no choice but to increase your debt with the agreed upon rate.” Agreed upon rate? What is she talking about? “Here, the contract, it even has your seal on it.” She pulls a piece of paper out from one of the drawers on her desk and dangles it in front of her, like you would a cat by the scruff of its neck. “’Information Exchange Agreement’? I never...!” the form in front of me was stamped with my family seal as well as my family’s home address. Phone numbers, liability partners, the rate she was talking about was set as 3% per year. My original debt had been set at \250,000. I had about \5,000 to spare per month back when I had a job, if I paid monthly I’d be free in 5 years. However, there was an additional clause. “Any loss of contact or failure to meet payments will triple the debt? There’s no way this is legal!” “If you want to debate its validity I’m perfectly happy to introduce you to our lawyers.” She sets the contract on the desk. “Although with only \5,000 it would be pretty hard to find a good one, or even prevent yours from being bribed.” Did she hypnotize me while I was distracted?! “By the way, I haven’t hypnotized you or anything. My men found your bankbook while looking for you and I had them send me a photo of every page. I also contacted the Izakaya you worked at. They didn’t have an employee with your name.” Dammit, this person has no sense of privacy whatsoever, also with me having no job I guess I wouldn’t have been able to pay it anyways. “I’m willing to return the debt back to its original amount if you could tell me a couple things.” She leans forward again onto her desk. “Why did you leave your house yesterday?” I grit my teeth, “What’s it to you?” I can’t say where I went, although if she’s asking then she probably didn’t have me followed back then. “It matters because of the state your house was left in. I had my men record the room when they got there. I even know what page the folder was turned to when you left it. You learned something that made you agitated, what I want to know is the reason for your actions.” Crap, does she know who Shinozaki is? The page I was looking at was about Shinozaki Hinoe, even the newspaper article didn’t have her name on it because she was a minor. “If you saw the page then you should know why I got pissed.” Niwa closes her eyes. “I can imagine, it’s not a pleasant event. Did you know Shinozaki Hinoe?” I’m hemmed in, I can’t lie and say I knew her, if I try to bluff it and look her in the eye she could hypnotize me. If I say I don’t then it narrows down the number of people on that page to one. “No, I didn’t.” If I lied and she had sensed it she might have tried something more sinister. She has the home ground advantage here. “I see” Niwa opens her eyes. “There was only one other person mentioned there. Her sister, it makes sense. She would be the same age as us. It would also explain why I couldn’t find her name anywhere.” Couldn’t find her name? Is this because of her erased existence? “What do you mean you couldn’t find her name anywhere?” I ask. “I couldn’t find it anywhere. No records of her exist anywhere. She was only mentioned in that one newspaper. No birth certificate, no hospital records, nothing. The most worrying part about this is that I didn’t even think that strange, until now.” What? Shinozaki’s mother said she took her to a lot of different doctors, and she doesn’t have a birth certificate either? “Then... why just that newspaper then?” I step forwards. “If everything else’s been wiped clean why was only that left?” “There are two possibilities.” Niwa lifts up her right hand and raises two fingers. “One, it was a coincidence, she just happened to be able to be noticeable, similar to you her existence isn’t completely erased, she just has far less time to be noticeable than you.” She lowers her middle finger. “The other is that something or someone is hiding her, and left that bit of information on purpose.” She looks up at me, I shouldn’t be looking at her directly, but I meet her gaze again. “Did she have it, the Book of Shadows.” I don’t feel her using hypnosis on me, but I can’t move. The book I left behind in that place. Was it hiding her all this time? Then why did it let that event happen? “Mr. Kishinuma, did she have the book?” Niwa asks again, she’s standing up and looking me in the eye. I quickly look away. “Yeah, she did.” I hear Niwa sigh and return to her chair. “When you came back, did you take it with you?” “No, I left it behind, but when I saw her, it was sitting on her lap.” Niwa nods. “Then I guess it’s probably that book’s doing. It’s the only item in this world with enough power to do something like this.” She pinches her chin in thought again. “The book did recognizer her as its master. Perhaps this is its method of protecting her.” Protecting her? If it was trying to do that then why did that happen? It doesn’t make sense. “You’re wondering, why then, did it allow Shinozaki Hinoe to be killed, right?” She sits back, arms crossed in front of her again. “I don’t know why either, although I can dig up the relevant data. It’s only about two and a half months since then, I could reopen my investigation of it.” “What, are you suddenly doing things for charity all of a sudden?” Niwa shakes her head. “No, this isn’t for you at all. Rather as an information broker having something hidden from me for so long is rather aggravating.” She picks up the contract she first showed me and tears it in two. “You’ve fulfilled my request so I can reset your debt back to the original sum. However, do you have an idea for how you’ll find the funding for it?” I grimace, if Niwa said my old work place didn’t even remember me then I can’t go back there. Also if I’m less noticeable due to the Nirvana I might just be forgotten or not paid. “It seems that you don’t, I suppose I can assist you there as well.” Niwa smile like a fox, I get chills down my back. “Even though I’m vice president of this company there are times when I cannot rely on my subordinates.” She gets up and stares out the window. “At times I need a more mobile and less noticeable individual.” She turns back towards me. “Would you consider working under me?” “What would that mean?” I ask. Niwa chuckles lightly. “Not much, I would simply ask you to do certain favors for me. Looking into places finding individuals, almost like a private investigator.” She walks out from behind the desk and towards me. “I won’t have you tailed or traced, so you don’t have to worry about me finding her through you.” She stretches out her hand. “I don’t have my sister’s ability, neither her genius. So I have to cheat, lie, deceive, and sometimes, rely on other people. As a fellow survivor of Heavenly Host, will you work with me? So nothing like that ever happens again.” I look between her hand and her face. I didn’t expect that last bit from her, maybe she really has had a change of heart. I scratch my head. “Give me a couple of days to think on it. I can’t just decide on a whim, and I still don’t trust you.” Niwa retract her hand, she doesn’t seem sad or frown. Merely closes her eyes, nods, and turns around. “I understand, I can give you a few days to make your decision. In fact that will give me enough time to draw up your contract.” She sits down behind her desk again and starts looking through the paperwork on her desk. I guess I’ve been given permission to leave. “Didn’t you want to know who she was?” I ask, shoving my left hand into my pocket. Niwa continues shuffling through her paperwork while she answers me. “Indeed I would but if she’s being hidden from me this strongly I have to be wary of why she was hidden from me. Also I’m not so thankless to try and exploit her, she saved my life, more than once.” “You remember that much do you?” Niwa looks up. “I can’t remember much about her, but what I do remember of her, I treasure. I owe her a great debt, and as a business woman I make sure to remember my debts.” “I guess that makes the two of us.” I turn around and walk out. ... ... ... I got back home in the early hours of the morning, at this rate I’m going to collapse from exhaustion. Collapsing face first onto the bed I sigh. I’ve been moving non-stop trying to find Shinozaki, then trying to figure out what happened to her. I haven’t thought about what I’m going to have to do from now on. If I’ve been erased then I guess I can’t go to school anymore. Compulsory education ends at middle school so I’m not obliged to go to school by law. I know though that the odds of me getting any job bigger than a part-time post is pretty hard for people who only graduated high school. Although I somehow haven’t been kicked out of this apartment if I don’t pay the rent I’ll probably be kicked out, if I’m not kicked out for being here illegally. It might be that the landlord just hasn’t checked this room, maybe there isn’t anyone supposed to be living here. Crap, even though I’m exhausted ever since Niwa showed me that contract and brought up the word job I can’t stop thinking about it. I roll over and stare at the ceiling. My problems don’t end there either. Sachi is still possessing Shinozaki. First and foremost I have to deal with her first. Edited by Skybird, January 3, 2015, 7:20 pm.
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Check out my fanfic Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aftermath. I can also translate from Japanese to English. Open to requests. | |
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| Zaion | January 3, 2015, 5:14 pm Post #12 |
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FanFiction writer/Translator/Character Bio writer
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Spoiler: click to toggle Yoshiki’s Room – Real World – Yoshiki
I woke up late due to having to deal with Niwa pretty much all night and some of the morning. I don’t know what she was doing still at the company that late. Today’s a weekday as well. Paulownia Academy was open so she should have school today as well. Maybe that’s why her hair was going white. Come to think of it Kuon-sensei also had white hair. Was it over work that did that, or was it inherited? I guess it’s not really my problem. I checked around my house to see if Niwa had actually had anything taken from my apartment. My bankbook was still there and I’d been carrying my wallet with me so I hadn’t lost any money. The bills inside the wallet were useless though, I don’t think people accept bloody notes. Luckily I’d only been carrying about two thousand yen with me. I really hoped the landlord wouldn’t be checking on me anytime soon, I had paid this month’s rent but I didn’t have next months. I had no idea what to do for gas, water, or electricity bills. My next payment was later this month so I had about a week to get some cash for it. “Dammit, I wish I at least turned the lights off when I ran out. *Sigh I guess it can’t be helped now.” Food wise I didn’t have much in my fridge. Miki was the one who did the grocery shopping. I guess I can’t rely on her anymore. I hadn’t thought about my family at all. I’d started living separately from then ever since I had that fight with my dad. Miki was the only one who would come see me from time to time. I wonder whether they would remember me if I showed up. Shinozaki’s family remembered her. That might just be the book though for all I know. I can’t rely on them regardless and never wanted to anyways. I change my clothes, I had thought about throwing away the cargo pants I’d gotten from the refugee camp but I’m already low enough on money already. I can’t afford to throw anything away at the moment. Putting both of them in the wash basket to take care of them later, I took a shower first before putting on a black T-shirt and olive pants. I could have started looking for a job on my desktop but since I was already in dire straits it was cheaper to go to an employment agency. I stepped out of the house and began walking into town. ... ... ... I’d forgotten how tough it was to get a job, especially when you can’t give certain details. Not having finished high school or being in education at all also didn’t help. The recent ruckus with the Entity Walls definitely didn’t help either. A lot of places weren’t recruiting or at the very least weren’t recruiting teenagers. There were a surprising number of jobs opening up for “spiritualists”, I guess with all the crazy stuff happening this month there’s probably a boom going on at the moment. Perfect Life Promotion Company was making quite a bit of money from all of this apparently. They acted as a consultancy agency to other companies giving advice on spiritual matters. From what I heard it seemed that most of their time was spent verifying which “spiritual” businesses were legitimate and which were fake. They also continued to sell spiritual goods such as power stones and holy water for cheap prices in easily accessible places such as convenience or department stores. Most of this I either overheard from other people’s conversations at the employment agency some of it from one of the clerks there. “I don’t think you would be able to apply for that company.” She had said with a plastered smile. “They don’t offer any part time jobs there and there are quite a lot of applicants for positions there.” I simply nodded and asked for some other places to work at, possibly another izakaya, although that was only because I knew how to work there. I could have taken a job at any time in the day to be honest but old habits are hard to break. “*Sigh If I can’t even apply for one getting one is going to be even harder.” I was sat down on a park bench looking at the empty swings and slides. In the middle of a working day there’s nobody here. I would have expected a few kids to be playing here but I suppose the events earlier this month had people scared. I lean back and look up at the sky, Niwa’s offer was looking more and more tempting by the minute, I don’t know what the pay would be like and I bet I’d get into all sorts of trouble working under her but even just as a temporary thing I needed a job. I’d asked for a few days to think about it though, things didn’t look good but it wasn’t impossible. Maybe tomorrow something would open up. *Guuuuuuuuurrrrrrgllllllllleeeeee I hadn’t eaten anything since being picked up by Niwa’s men. They stopped by a convenience store on the way to the company. They got a couple of rice balls and a bottle of barley tea. Sighing again I get up and start heading to the nearest convenience store. ... ... ... Finishing off a microwave bento I had heated at the convenience store I returned to the employment agency for the rest of the day looking for a job. The clerk I talked to earlier didn’t recognize me. On the plus side since they couldn’t remember me I could resubmit my forms with a few doctored details. I wasn’t hopeful though. I guess I saw my eroded existence in action there. The clerk who told me to give up trying to apply to PL didn’t recognize me at all, even ended up giving me the exact same comment when I asked about it again. It was slightly creepy like listening to a broken tape recorder looping over the exact same bit of dialogue. Leaving the agency I started walking home. I wonder how Niwa was able to remember me at all to be honest. Frankly if she forgot my debt then it would help a lot, maybe that’s why she remembered me. Saenoki Naho did say she was stingy with money...? Where did that thought come from, why did I think that? The first time I met Niwa Aiko was after we had gotten out of Heavenly Host. That means Saenoki Naho wouldn’t have talked about her to me, there was no reason for her to... So why did I remember that she said that? “Anyways, I’m not going to go along with this” “Daaaaaa~! I’m tired. I’m not putting up with this anymore, I’ve had it with babysitting this brat!” “Hurgh! Ugh! Kuuuhh~.” My head started pounding I got weird flashes of things, was that Heavenly Host? It looked like it but the atmosphere was completely different. It didn’t feel dark, cold, lonely, threatening or any of the usual feeling I’d get when I was there. What is this? Am I going insane from stress or something? I lean against a telephone pole to catch my breath. “Dammit, what was that?” I get up, it’s about time school ends I push myself off the telephone pole and continue walking towards home. ... ... ... As I approached my apartment I saw someone standing on the second floor in front of my apartment. I could see they had a pony tail and they seemed to be holding something in front of them. “!!! No, way!” I ran forward and dart up the stairs. Turning into the corridor that runs along our apartments I startle the person who was standing in front of my door. “Oh!” She jumps a little and then looks at me quizzically, brown ponytail swaying. “Miki...” My little sister’s standing in front of my apartment, holding a bag of groceries which she used to do whenever she visited. “Um, I’m sorry but... who are you?” Miki’s brown eyes look at me quizzically. My heart skips a beat. “Oh, um, sorry. You just... happened to look like someone I know. Sorry.” I stammer out an excuse, so I guess nobody really remembers me after all. My knees feel weak. “That’s alright, but who are you?” Miki looks me right in the eye. “Oh, me? Uh, I’m... Yoshiki. Kishinuma Yoshiki...” I didn’t have time to think up a name, I ended up just saying my real one. Dammit, this situation is getting worse by the moment. I hope this eroded existence thing means I can’t get a criminal record. “Kishinuma? Oh, do you live here?” She points do the name besides my door. I look at it and then nod. “Y... Yeah I live here, sorry I surprised you, so why are you here?” Why is Miki here, she used to come by to visit me after I left to live on my own, if she doesn’t remember me then why is she here. “Oh, um, well...” She fidgets a little. “I walk by here whenever I get sad or lonely. It makes me feel a little bit better. One time when I decided to explore a bit I noticed the name plate. So I was wondering if it was someone related.” She looks to the side away from the building out towards the road. “I know it’s a little weird but... um, I just wanted to meet whoever lived here a little bit.” “Oh, right.” I scratch my head. It’s a little weird but I can understand a little bit of it. If you saw someone with the same family name as you it’s natural to get a little bit curious. Was it some fragment of memory that brought her here? I didn’t really do anything brotherly that I can remember, really it was just Miki looking after me and worrying about my health most of the time. “Well, um as a greeting gift, here!” She holds out the groceries towards me. “Eh, what? Wait, don’t you need these for something?” She looks to the side sheepishly and sticks out her tongue a little. “I went shopping for food, but when I phoned home mom told me that the fridge was already full so we don’t really have any space to put it.” She turns back and then holds it out again. “It’s not much but please take it. You don’t look like you’ve been eating properly so these should help!” “Wha... Hey, what gives you that idea, and aren’t you being a bit too friendly?” I put my hands on my hips and look down on her. She just smiles and holds out the groceries again. “Just a hunch, plus, we have the same family name so I guess we’re related in some way.” She walks over and takes my hand and makes me hold the groceries. “You know the saying right? ‘Blood is thicker than water’ family should be able to be say anything to each other, no matter what.” She steps back and smiles again. “Plus now I know you’re definitely not eating properly!” She flaps the receipt from the convenience store earlier. “! Hey! Really, you’re just completely fearless aren’t you?” Miki was always like this, she’d let herself into my apartment even though I told her she didn’t have to. The first time she even picked the lock to get in. I walk towards the door groceries in hand and take out the key and open it. “Thanks for these, now go home, it’s going to be late.” I turn around to wave her off but she’s not there. “Woooow so this is what it’s like inside.” !!! I flip around. She’d snuck around me and was already walking around my apartment. I palm my face first before going in. “Really, what would you do if I was a bad guy?” I set the groceries near the fridge and open it. “I’d scream at the top of my lungs, there are still people living next doors so. Anyways you don’t feel like a bad guy, even if you’ve dyed your hair.” She peers over my shoulder as I start putting things away in the fridge. “Uwaa~ there really is nothing in here.” “*Sigh none of your business.” I finish packing away the groceries and get up. “So, what are you going to do now?” She looks up at me. I pause usually I’d be getting ready for work or something or doing homework. Now since I’m not in school or employment, I don’t really have anything to do. These past few days I’ve just been running around chasing after Shinozaki so I didn’t really think about how I’d use my time. “Yoshiki-san... are you perhaps... a NEET?” Miki has her hands behind her back and her feet close together as she peeks at me beneath her fringe. “!!! Wha-What makes you say that?” She’s spot on to be honest, I don’t have a job and I’m not in school. Pretty much dictionary definition of a NEET. “You’re not in a school uniform even though it’s a weekday and you just remained silent when I asked you what you’re going to do now.” She fidgets a little, hands still behind her back. “I’ve... been busy with some other things and... well, I guess I haven’t finished that either...” Shinozaki, I found her but now I need to help her again. I also need to get my life in order as well. Shinozaki has her family to protect her. She doesn’t need me for now. I have to figure out whether Niwa is trustworthy or not. She said she has the facilities to remove possessions when she told me I wasn’t possessed. If I can figure out whether I can trust her or not I can take Shinozaki to her. I guess if that’s the case taking the job from Niwa means I can both figure her out and get a job. Two birds with one stone, it’ll probably be dangerous as hell though. I never wanted to go through an experience like Heavenly Host again. If I work for Niwa, I’ll probably be put into situations like that, but if it’s for Shinozaki it’s worth it. “Yoshiki-san?” Miki is peering into my face. I guess I spaced out a bit while thinking. I take my hand away from my head, I had a habit of scratching my head while I was thinking. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something. You’re right, I guess I’m a NEET for now but I won’t let that last long.” Miki frowns a little and stares into my eyes for a bit before turning around. “Well I guess even among family people have their secrets. Do you know how to cook Yoshiki-san?” She continues to wander around my room looking at various things. “Um, a little bit...” Actually whenever Miki came over she was the one who did the cooking. I never bothered to learn since I was fine with cafeteria food and the odd bento box from the convenience store. “Doesn’t look like it, hold on I’ll call my parents to tell them I’ll be late and I’ll show you!” She flips out a cellphone and starts calling someone. I sigh, Miki always was a little forceful like this. I guess she also felt a little responsible for what happened between me and dad. I turn back to the kitchen counter. She’s calling our parents right now. Parents that won’t even remember me. That making up between me and dad she wanted can’t happen anymore. It’s not like he’s dead or anything but I can’t talk to him or mom anymore. I was never on good terms with either of them. Even though I never talked to them for years now, I didn’t think about the fact that I could never talk to them anymore. I guess it’s alright though, they never really like me and I didn’t get along with them. It’s all the better now, or at least nothing changed. “Done! Well then Yoshiki-san what would you like to have today?” Miki pops up beside me at the counter. “Anything is fine, just make something that’s easy for you.” I turn back to where she was and then hear the fridge door open. As always she’s already gone from beside me and is rummaging through the fridge. “Well, how does curry and rice sound?” She pops up with a couple of potatoes in one hand some carrots in the other. “Sure, sounds great what should I do?” She looks at me skeptically. “Can I leave you to set the rice cooker?” “Hey, I’m not that stupid.” She chuckles, “Sorry, sorry, I just teased you a little bit. After you set the rice cooker set up the boiling water then you can help me peel the vegetables.” “Sure, leave it to me.” That night I had the best meal I had in a long time. ??? - Grave of Maltuva ??? *Tssssss krrrrrr tssssss krrrrr The sound of a ventilator pumping air repeats, the only sound in the dark room. An uneven shape is on an operating table in the center of the room. Numerous black rubber tubes cross each other before flowing through the meat, connecting organs underneath flesh and bone to a variety of packs and machines filled with liquids. Occasionally they vibrate as the contents are injected through them and into their target. The figure on the table’s limbs are pitch black, some have begun to crumble. The right thumb is long gone, the index finger has recently collapsed into dust. The remaining three fingers do not move, silently waiting their turn. The left hand still has all its digits and the blackness only extends halfway up the forearm unlike the right which has gone past the elbow. The right leg is completely missing, the end is flat and blackened as if it had been cut off and then cauterized. The left looks as if it has been dropped in acid. Black meat has collapsed off of the bone attached at some points by strings of dark sinew. The foot has fallen off and lies in pieces on the floor. The head remains largely intact only obscured by the mass of tubes that enter it from the left eye socket. A ventilator attaches to a slim white neck forcing air through the throat and into the lungs. *Click creeaaaaaaaak The sound of the door opening interrupts the ventilators mechanical breathing. Two individuals walk in, both wear scrubs with surgical masks and caps. The dark of the room is briefly split before returning to its original stats as the door closes behind them. “So we managed to reclaim her did we?” A female voice, haughty and arrogant demands an answer from the other. “Yes, Magari was forced to abandon her when we stormed her estate. We found her submerged in a tank of holy water in the basement.” A male voice answers, calmly and clinically. “Was the darkening as pronounced as it is now?” One of them gestures to the left leg. “Her mind had already succumbed to it long before we got there. The holy water served as both a sedative to the mind and preservative of the body. Nonetheless the outer extremities are unnecessary for our purposes.” “A shame, we had high hopes for her.” One of them leans over the body and inspects the limbs and body. “Will the darkening proceed any further?” The female voice demands. “We have managed to stop it but the outer extremities could not be saved. We will remove all of them to prevent the darkening from spreading as well as to prevent infection from necrosis in a week’s time.” The other remains standing in between the door and the table the figure lies upon. “Good, with the Book of Shadows lost again we will require every resource we can acquire. Use her as you need, however, she is not disposable. People with her level of divinity do not exist. Ensure she survives, no matter what.” After finishing her inspection of the figure both depart the room. The figure remains there on the table unmoving. Blond hair flows downwards over the pillow and the table. The right blue eye stares vacantly at the ceiling, and then closes. Edited by Zaion, January 3, 2015, 5:14 pm.
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Check out my fanfic Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aftermath. I can also translate from Japanese to English. Open to requests. | |
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| Shigitou burikaa | January 3, 2015, 5:20 pm Post #13 |
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give me a reason to care once more. new mod for the grt. -in sachiko I trust-
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Good story your getting on so far, (You make fanfiction faster that i can. Hahahaha! I have absolutly no life..) ^ it was a small joke considering how i take like 2 weeks to make one chapter nowadays lol. |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ste teraz mojej obete. Vitajte v mojom herňa, zvieratko. Ja som teraz mučiť vás.![]() . ~ポケウォーズ9000™ i am servent to no one. I'm married to nana!
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| Zaion | January 3, 2015, 5:20 pm Post #14 |
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FanFiction writer/Translator/Character Bio writer
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Spoiler: click to toggle Yoshiki’s Room - Real World Yoshiki I woke up at about 6:00AM. Since I was trying not to use any electricity I went to sleep soon after I walked Miki home. I walked her most of the way there. Not to her house. It would have looked bad if she had called saying she was going to come back late and then came home with some guy they didn't know. I don't know why she trusted me so much but it was nice being able to see her again. I ended up just listening to her talk about random things while we ate. I didn't ask her about anything and she didn't pry into my business. I guess she didn't say anything because of the way I reacted when she called me a NEET, even if it's sort of true for the moment. Come to think of it I only stayed in school because Shinozaki told me to. After I became friends with Satoshi it was because of them I went to school. I never really thought about what I would do after it. My grades probably wouldn't have gotten me into university, at least not a good one, and I didn't really feel like going. I had my job at the Izakaya, it wasn't great but it was a job. I guess though now that I've thought about it I only really have one option now. Even if it's just for the moment, I've got to work for Niwa. It's only been a day though since she offered it to me and besides walking to her office I didn't have a way of calling her back. The voice mail she left on my phone didn't have a call back number and of course I didn't have her mobile number. "Really, having nothing to do is pretty boring." I'd just lain in bed after I woke up. With no job or school I was pretty much stuck doing nothing. I could go visit Shinozaki but this early in the morning would probably cause problems for her parents. I guess I could walk about and try to find out about what happened since we got back from the Nirvana. The refugee camp I had been taken to had been cleared out. I guess everyone either went home or was taken to the hospital for better treatment. The guard not noticing me back then must have also been because of the Nirvana I ate, but who was he yelling at back then? The world I live in isn't the same one I left when I went into Heavenly Host, especially not after the Entity Walls bursting up all over the place. That day's been started to be called the day of darkness in media. I saw it a couple times in the large TV boards and on the cover of some of the newspapers. The general consensus of the more mainstream media such as newspapers and TV seemed to think that the event from that day was that an investigation was still underway. It felt like saying it enough times would make the problem disappear. However, most people seemed to believe that it was occult related. Protective charms against spirits, holy water, power stones. I saw them on sale everywhere, in department stores, convenience stores, in stands in the street. Having had to use them in Heavenly Host from time to time I guess they had some use. But I have the feeling most people are being scammed when they buy them. Heavenly Host and the Nirvana, those were rare situations. In your everyday life I don't think you'd need to use them, but at the same time you never know when they'd come in handy. Just look at what happened to us. Shinozaki just wanted to give Suzumoto a good farewell memory, and in the end it cost us and this world dearly. I get up out of bed, even if there's nothing for me to do staying here is not only boring but depressing. Might as well walk outside to clear my head, maybe visit Shinozaki later today. I changed into a navy blue shirt and brown pants, heated up the left over curry in the pot, and after eating breakfast I stepped out of the house. ... ... ... This early in the morning there's virtually nothing going on, I see the odd high schooler or office worker with a long commute walking towards the train station. The only things open are fast food restaurants and convenience stores. Walking down the main street, in the valley between office buildings and department stores I passed by a few people and some cars. They had a direction and goal but I was just walking randomly. I had my cell phone and wallet. I considered just walking up to PL's building but this early in the morning it probably wasn't open. "Out of the way!" *Shove! ! ! ! What the hell?! A guy wearing a grey hoody slammed into me, almost knocking me off my feet, and ran into an alley way. "Hey, watch where you're going!" I yell after him but he's already disappeared around a corner. I rub my head and then feel something wet on my left shoulder. "? ? ? What the... ?!" I touched it and when I looked at my hand it was red. I quickly pat my shoulder and move it around to see if I was hurt. I don't feel any pain or bleeding, I guess the blood must be from that guy. Looking closely I see droplets of red leading into the alley. "... Creepy." I start to turn back home to change when I hear a rustling sound. I look up. I see a flash of blond hair at the top of the building. "! ! ! Was that Magari?" Was she chasing that guy? I look back into the alley. I have no idea what's going on. Most of me still wants to go home and just change my shirt. There's no point sticking my neck into something like this. But if Magari's mixed up in it then I have to check it out. I don't know if she's an ally or an enemy, she said she was no longer part of that strange cult thing but since she knows about Shinozaki if she ends up telling them something... I can't risk that. Also she's one of the few people who remembers both me and Shinozaki, there must be a reason she still has her memories but nobody else does. "Dammit." I'm not some thrill seeker. I don't go out of my way to start fights and having to experience something like Heavenly Host was something I could definitely have lived without. But this is important, I start running into the alley following the trail of red dots. The alley was dark, especially for the morning. Buildings on either side shut out the light. I followed the trail. It kept on going turning around corners deeper and deeper in between office buildings and the odd almost derelict apartment building. Finally I got to a clearing. It looked like the front of an old apartment building, a square lot in front of an old building. *whoosh *CLONK "GAH!" My head! What the hell was that?! "Who's this, one of Magari's people?" I guess I was hit from behind, my body feels numb all over. "H-he's just some random guy *(pant) I ran into on my way here." "Crap and I thought we got Magari for one moment." I feel a sharp prod in my side, I try to look up. "Wh-who the fuck are you?" I manage to get out, my head is still ringing and I feel dizzy. I try to get up but I feel a sharp kick to my stomach. "UGH!" I collapse on my side and curl up from the blow. "Shit, so where's Magari? I though you said she was following you." A guy with a metal bat in one hand is standing over me. The guy who ran into me on the street is behind him bent over and breathing deeply. "I swear she was, that crazy bitch's been chasing me for a day now." Magari's been chasing after these guys? Crap, I don't have time to think about this. I've got get up and run. I manage to stand up and try to lurch back the way I came. I look around. From where I was on the ground I could only see the two guys who were in front of me. Guys dressed in the same grey hoody pop out from behind garbage bins, out of the windows of the building, and from other alleys. About 18 in total, I guess they had planned to ambush Magari with all these people. I see bats, pipes, a couple of knives. One guy standing at the top of the stairs that lead to the building is even carrying a hand gun. I stumble from the dizziness and lean against one of the buildings that make up the square. "Well at the moment he's just dead weight might as well get rid of him." The one with the bat starts walking towards me. I can't dodge, standing is pretty much all I can do at the moment. He swings the bat back as if he's trying to hit a home run, except my head's the ball and I'm backed up against the wall. He swings, I close my eyes. *whoosh *CRACK I hear the sound of something heavy being swung and a sickening crack. I feel something wet against my face. But it doesn't hurt, I hear the sound of rain drops splashing on the ground. I peek out of squinted lids. The guy's head is blood red, no it's covered in blood. A narrow metal wedge is emebeded in his head. His eyes are pointed in to different directions and are bulged out. The sound of rain I heard earlier continues. The metal wedge twitches and splits the head down the middle. With a sucking sound the separated halves fall off the blade of a scythe. In between the valley of meat and bone that used to be a man's head was the back of Mizuki Magari. "Really, you shouldn't be sticking your head into things that don't concern you. Especially things that'll get you killed. Since I'm the one that has to kill you, it'd really help if you just kept out of these things." Her tone is the same as I'd expect from a high school girl, but her voice is freezing. Is she talking to me? The guys in the square freeze, she turns around. A cold fire burns in each ice blue orb above a doll like smile. "Well since you did help me out by springing their ambush for me, I guess I can help you out a little bit." She twirls the massive scythe like a baton over her head. Blood flies off the blade drawing a broken circle of red around her as it whips around her. "I only need one of you alive. Preferably the most important of you but you're all probably too unimportant to know much. So I'll just use you as some stress relief." The scythe stops and rests across her shoulders. The guy with the hand gun grabs it with both hands and fires but his arms are shaking so badly it misses her. That single gunshot acts like the sound of a starting pistol at a race. The other guys around him break out of their stupor and charge her. The first one to reach her swings the bat. She catches in her free left hand. I see the metal dent where it meets her fingers. She kicks him, knocking him back into the guys behind him. I hear a crack when her foot impacts his chest quickly followed by the loud thump of him smashing into 2 more guys. They smash into a garbage bin denting it, making it scream a metallic groan. However, this opens up a clear line between her and the guy with the gun. He fires again but he misses. The hole opened in the group by Magari quickly closes. She swings the scythe in front of her, parallel to the ground, forcing them back. She jumps forward and grabs one of them by the collar and throws him at the one at the top of the stairs before blurring forwards. The cement cracks where she stood and she becomes a blur of white, black, and pink with gold trailers. The guy with the gun dodges his companion but not the blur that flows up to where he is. He tries to turn to shoot but he barely has time to look at her before he's sent flying with a massive thump. He flies 4 meters into the wall next to him and about a floor up from where he was, almost like a baseball. He slams into it next to a window with another thump and crashes limply back down. Magari stands where he was scythe once again on her right shoulder, the doll like smile is still there. "I guess 5 should probably be enough, one of them might have survived that. I bet the guy with the best toy was probably the most important." She lifts up the scythe, until now she had kept the blade pointed behind her, but with a twist of her wrist the blade now pointed forward. "The rest of you aren't needed. I don't really need to keep you alive anymore." She takes a step down from the top of the stairs. "I don't want to hunt any of you down again since that's tiring. So here's a promise, if you don't run away and stay here. I'll kill you nice and quickly. If you make me run after you though... well just try it and find out." Her tone hasn't changed at all, neither has the smile. The guys around her are shaking in fear, if I was in their situation so would I. This square feels more like the cage of some massive predator than an ambush. I still can't move to well. It's not that I've been hurt badly. Magari's just moved so quickly. Only a couple of minutes have passed since I ran into this place. I simply haven't had time to recover. She's reached the bottom of the stairs. Nobody in the area except her has moved. "Good job, now my turn to fulfill our promise." *WHUP *SPLURT *SPLASH Magari whipped her scythe in a circle. The people near her exploded, as if they'd been hit by a bomb. The force of the blade had smashed them apart almost instantaneously. The ones behind them were shredded, as if by a mass of knives. Red spurted out from cuts that suddenly appeared across their bodies. For a few seconds the only thing I could hear was the wet slap of dead meat hitting the ground and the spurt of blood vacating mutilated corpses. The mass of red, it almost looked like I was back in Heavenly Host, except it was bright. Sun light poured in from above. I thought it before but there's no way Magari's just an ordinary person. Back in Heavenly Host, at the pool, she cut apart that monster that was chasing us in an instant. Her thin frame doesn't show where she gets any of that power from. However, trying to stop her attacks would be like trying to stop a freight train with your bare hands. I swallow nervously. I've already seen enough dead bodies to not be unnerved by the sight of them, but seeing 14 people just obliterated like that... Magari rests her scythe on her shoulder again and puts her free hand on her hip. "So, what should I do with you?" She looks at me and smiles that doll like smile again. It's broad daylight but nobody's come to investigate the noises here. Either the buildings here are abandoned or Magari set something up before coming here. If that's the case calling for help isn't going to work. Last time I was able to gain some distance on her and then escape into a public area by getting her scythe stuck on the door. I got caught afterwards but by then it seemed she'd lost interest in me. If that's the case I just have to survive until she gets bored. I wonder if this is what a stuffed animal feels like when given to a toddler. Scratch that, this situation is more like a chew toy being given to a dog. "Oh, has the cat got your tongue? You can worship me freely for the moment, I'm in a good mood. Also, I just saved your life just now. Maybe you can start by groveling to me." "As if!" I burst out and her smile quickly turns into a frown. They say honesty is a virtue. But I don't see anything great about this situation. She takes a step forward. "Didn't you just hear me say, 'I just saved your life'. That means you owe me, in fact this is the second time your life's been in my hands." The scythe rises off her shoulder. "If you don't want it I don't have any problems collecting you know?" This is bad, she's pissed and from what I saw earlier she could cut me down in a second. Even if there's about 5 meters between us that scythe shortens that distance between us to 3.5, on top of that from what I saw earlier she didn't even need to hit me with that thing to hurt me. She might as well have the blade pressed up against my throat right now. "These guys weren't any fun. It's only been a couple of days but you've got a different look on your face." She points the scythe at me like a sword. "Let's see whether leaving you alive was worth it." I can't fight her barehanded, that's suicide. I need to get some distance. If I can get into the alleyways it should stop her from swinging that thing around. There are lots of twists and turns for it to get snagged on. I turn and run towards the alley I came out of. A whooshing noise comes from my left and suddenly I'm falling. I slam into the ground hard. Suddenly my left leg erupts in pain. I can't feel anything beneath my thigh from the pain. I hear a regular spurting noise come from my left leg. I curl up to see why my leg hurts. There's nothing there, just the occasional jet of blood spurting out of my thigh. I scream but I can still hear the click clack of heels leisurely approaching me. I feel a kick hit me in the chest knocking me on my back. My eyes close from the pain. When they open they catch the scythe blade falling towards me just in time before it... I stop mid step and jump. I hear the scraping scream of metal on stone. I land on my hands and roll forwards with the jump, anything to get away from her. I stop and look up. Magari stands a few meters away from where I had been. A line has been carved along the wall that was behind me. She's holding onto the scythe with both hands as if it were bouquet of flowers. I can't run away she's too fast, she won't let me either. Even if the alley I came out of is right behind me I can't escape from this arena. The only reason I'm alive is because she's playing with me. If I piss her off or make her serious, I'll die instantly. But I can't just stand here, if I need to fight I need a weapon. The gun! Back then she went for him as soon as she could, that means that she's at the very least afraid of it. If I can get it maybe I can keep her from rushing me. I turn and run to whether the guy hit the wall. It had to be there! Suddenly I'm flying with a massive pain in my stomach, like I'd been hit by a car. My back smashes into the wall and I bounce off it but I hear the sound of metal embedding itself into cement and I stop. I look up, Magari's eyes stare into mine before I can't hold my head up anymore. As my head falls to my chest I see the blade of the weapon sticking through me and into the wall... I dive forwards onto the ground. It's still covered in blood and bits of the group that was here. My hands sink into somebody's intestines and I can smell blood, vomit, and feces. A whooshing sound passes above me and I catch a glimpse of Magari's leg next to me. I scramble back onto my feet as quickly as possible. Behind me I hear the sound of metal impacting rock. The gun is right in front of me next to the guy who held it. His head was bleeding but I could see he was still breathing. I pick up the gun. I turn around and point it at Magari. Her scyth was buried into the ground, where I had been. She pulls it out of the ground with the sound of scratching metal. “Don’t move!” I yell, Magari simply turns towards me with a cold smile. She’s holding the scythe in front of her with both hands again. She take a step closer, I don’t think she’s listening anymore. Her eyes burn into me, making me feel cold. I feel as if someone’s slipped an ice cube down my back. I can’t let her get any closer. I point the gun at her and fire. *BANG “Ow!” The gun kicks back and almost slips out of my bloody hands. I’d never shot a gun before so there was no way I’d no how to hold or aim it. I don’t even know where the shot hit. Magari leisurely twirls the freed scythe in one hand before leisurely walking towards me. I aim at her again and hold it tightly but my hands are shaking from fear and from the recoil of the gun earlier. I fire again. *BANG Her right twin tails bursts open in the shape of a circle before falling back into its original shape. A few locks of hair fall out of it. “Shit!” I try to aim again and squeeze the trigger. *Click No recoil no shock no sound. My mind goes blank. I look at my hands, still pointing the empty gun at her. When I look up Magari’s cold blue eyes are all I see. I feel a hand grab my throat and lift me up. I drop the gun, I can’t breathe. I try to scratch at the vice that holds me but I can’t grip them. I feel weaker, weaker, weak... I can’t shoot her. From this range I don’t even know if I can hit her, and if I run out of bullets I won’t have any way to fight her. Even with the gun I probably wouldn’t be able to fight her, I’ve never seen them outside of movies or TV. I take a step back and point the gun downwards. Magari stops and frowns. “Where’re you pointing that? Have you given up already?” She flourishes her scythe. “I’m still going to kill you even if you do.” “Stay back or I’ll shoot him.” I glare at her. The gun isn’t pointing at her, it’s pointed at the guy she smashed into the wall at the start. She came here looking for these guys and wanted one for information. She said that this guy was probably the most important. If I can’t fight her head on I’ll just have to fight dirty. Magari blinks in surprise then starts laughing. “Ha, hahahahaha, brillllllliant. You’ve got a better head on your shoulders than I thought.” She doesn’t come any closer but leans the scythe on her right shoulder. “But, do you have the resolve to pull the trigger?” She leans forwards slightly. “Can you pull that trigger?” I’ve never killed anyone, not even in Heavenly Host. Even Mist although he lied, tricked, and hurt Shinozaki, I didn’t kill him. I may have gotten into a couple of fights and picked up smoking but I’ve never done anything to get a criminal record. Can I kill this guy, even if it’s to save myself? I look back up to Magari’s grinning face. If I get killed by her right now Shinozaki will end up possessed by Sachi forever. If I die here I won’t be able to see Miki again, even though she doesn’t remember me. I can’t be picky, I tighten my grip on the gun and back up to the guy’s crumpled form. I grab his hair and push the barrel of the gun to his temple. Magari nods and then leans the scythe against her shoulder and claps. “Well done, I didn’t plan on leaving you alive. But if I don’t get something from these guys I’ll have wasted the past couple of days. Plus even though it’s weak the one you’re holding has an aura.” “What are you talking about?” I’m still pointing the gun at the guy’s head. “It has nothing to do with you. You just happened to get caught in a net meant for someone else. I guess including these guys that’ll be the second time that’s happened to you.” She shrugs and starts walking towards the 3 men who were kicked into the garbage bin. Picking them up by the backs of their collar like a naughty cat she drags them over towards me. “I won’t bother collecting today, you’ve entertained me enough.” She stops when I twist the gun into the guy’s head. “Now give me him and I’ll let you go.” She holds the scythe in her right hand while holding onto the collars in her left. I slowly back away from the last remaining one, still keeping the gun pointed at him. Magari smiles and walks over to him and adds his collar to the fistful of cloth she’s holding. “Until we meet again. Bye bye” Cheerily bidding goodbye she drags her victims across the ground and walks into an alley way. As soon as she disappears an elderly gentleman dressed like a butler walks into the square from where Magari exited. “Good morning Mr. Kishinuma I am the butler of the Mistress, please exit from the way you came and leave behind anything you found here. We wish to eliminate all the evidence as quickly as possible. We are dealing with a secret society after all.” He bows lightly with the greeting and then gestures to the alley I came out of while he talks. “Wait, what’s going on? Who are you guys?” I yell. “My name is Mizuki Wald, please leave behind the weapon you are carrying.” His calm voice answers only one of my questions, but his stern glare tells me what would happen if I don’t do as he says. “Fine.” I drop the gun. It clatters to the floor and I begin to walk towards the alley I came from. As I pass by the butler he holds out a white towel. “For your hands and forehead, Mr. Kishinuma.” I have blood on my hands and some coming from my head. I take it. “...Thanks.” I mumble ... ... ... Getting out of the alleys and back onto the main street didn’t take any time at all. I ditched the towel in a random garbage can on the way out. I’d wiped away the blood on my hands and the bleeding from my head seemed to have stopped. It’s only been an hour since I went inside. The morning rush of office workers and high school students is in full sway. I look up to the tops of the building to see if Magari is somewhere up there but see nothing but blue sky. Spoiler: click to toggle Yoshiki's Room – Real World Yoshiki I went home once after getting out of the alleyways. A quick shower and another change of clothes later I was still stuck with nothing left to do, but I'm not relaxed. My fight with Magari and the fact that I had run into people from a secret society showed me how dangerous this world currently was. I never even thought a fight like that could take place in broad daylight. A gun was fired right in the middle of the city but there wasn't even a police officer on the street I came out onto. I'm worried about Shinozaki. Getting home took some time. It's after the morning rush about 9:00. Most students have already gone to school. If they haven't they either massively overslept or never planned to go in the first place. The me before I met Shinozaki probably fell into the latter category most of the time. After moving out and going to Kisaragi I only went to get the bare minimum of days to graduate. There wasn't a subject I liked, a teacher who was fun, not even friends worth hanging out with. Home wasn't much better either. Only one I got along with was Miki. Dad was pretty much disappointed in me from the start. Our last fight ended up with a black eye and a bloody nose on me. This apartment was set up for me by mom, I paid the rent though, she only sorted out the paperwork and that was to get me out of the house than to find me a place to live. After moving out I was pretty much all alone. I didn't have much free time with work, especially since at the beginning I didn't have any savings. So I never made friends. The other delinquents tried to get me in their groups just because I bleached my hair. At first I didn't bother fighting them. That would have made me a real delinquent. Most of the time I simply avoided them, if they tried to talk to me I'd make some random excuse and run off. Some of them thought that was me being a coward and tried to turn me into their gofer. After kicking their asses in one go they didn't bother to do that again. Tsubota set his eyes on me soon after. I'd started smoking before Kisaragi actually. One of the people I used to hang out with in junior high had some. That day I was irritated. After I showed those guys not to mess with me I wound up in the same routine. Some asshole would want to challenge me either to avenge his underling or make himself look better, and it'd end up in a fight. I didn't like it. Part of me going to Kisaragi was to get away from it all but here I was stuck in the same problem. Tsubota kept being on my case after that as well. Most of the other punks were afraid of him. He carried around that bamboo sword for a reason. I didn't see any difference between those guys and him though, and I treated him the same way. If he tried to talk with me or say anything I'd just apologize and duck out as quick as possible. Cornered in the bathroom stall like that though meant I couldn't just walk out. At the time what he said also made sense, I had no reason to go to school other than that's what I'd done until then. I didn't have anyone or anything to go there for. Knocking Tsubota out would be just a goodbye souvenir on top of it. Shinozaki changed that. At first I just thought she was a weird girl, crying like that all of a sudden. But her words changed something in me. "Getting strung along by that no-good teacher, and getting expelled... aren't you ashamed about such a fate? Don't play his game, whatever he does, and stay in school. No matter what! Really... *sniff" I didn't like losing, that's what got me into the life I have now. But Shinozaki turned that around. After that I stayed in school, paid attention in class. I didn't turn into a study freak or a genius overnight. I just got up on time and ignored Tsubota even more. I gave up smoking too. When the usual guys got me cornered one afternoon I didn't fight back. That was the time I first met Satoshi. He's easily scared but he ran in to stop them. He almost got beat up like I was, but his classmates called the teacher before they could hurt him. He helped me to the nurse's office and walked me home. For a few weeks he came over to eat lunch with me, even though we were in different classes, and he walked with me to work for a while. I met Yuka on those trips since he went home with her. It was his way of protecting me. If somebody like me got jumped by a bunch of thugs nobody would bat an eyelid. 'It's just some delinquents duking it out.' is what most of them would think. If they attacked a normal kid, or worse, a little girl everyone around them would try to help them. I don't know if Satoshi thought or knew about that or simply liked the chats we had on our way home. I never bothered to ask, but that was the first real friend I got at Kisaragi. After I met Satoshi school became a lot easier. At first it was just Shinozaki's words that made me change my attitude. But after I met Satoshi I actually wanted to go to school. That's why I could never confront him about Shinozaki. I owe both of them too much. Even if I can't forgive him for taking part in that love-comedy harem... thing...? What was that? Why did I think that? I... UGH?! A headache, I hold my head in one hand for a moment. I'm sitting on the bed while thinking about this. My head hurts, I feel like I'm forgetting something but the more I think about it the more my head hurts. My ears start ringing and my vision blurs and loses color. I shake my head to clear it and the ringing stop and my eye gradually come into focus. This isn't the first time this has happened. Yesterday when I was looking for a job the same thing happened to me, and it's not only then. When I was running from Magari, both times, I saw myself dying. No, I felt it. At first I thought it was just my imagination. But with my last fight with her I'm not so sure. Each... vision... I felt that death. That cold weakening feeling, just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. Each time I acted immediately. I ducked or dodged her avoiding that death, and the last one. I saw the outcome of what would happen if I fought Magari head on. The best I can think of is this is something to do with the Nirvana. Between the me now and the one before the second trip to Heavenly Host, that's the only thing that's changed. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it's kept me alive so far. Against Magari this is the only edge I have, it doesn't seem to work against non-lethal things though. Like when Magari grabbed me near the alley, or when Niwa used her hypnosis on me. Neither encounter triggered that weird vision. Also when Magari asked for me to let that guy go, normally when you have a hostage you don't want to release it. That guy was the only thing that stopped Magari from killing me. But I let her take him, even though I had nothing but her word that she wouldn't kill me. The only reason I released him was I didn't have that same feeling from all the other times in the fight. I'm not telling anyone about this though. It's my only trump card at the moment. If Magri knew about it she might just try to disable me so I couldn't run, then kill me. I can't trust Niwa either. She might turn me into a guinea pig for some experiment or something. *sigh "No point worrying about it now, might as well visit Shinozaki." My problems are my own and I'll deal with them by myself. I get up and walk out the door to Shinozaki's address. ... ... ... *ding dong I pressed the doorbell button at the front gate but nobody answers. I push it again. The silence continues. The gate is open so I make my way to the door to knock. I knock twice but there's no answer, the house is completely silent. I grab the door knob preparing to rattle it and it turns smoothly, it's unlocked. I swing open the door. The hallway is lit up by the sunlight from the front door but since there are no windows in it it's still pretty dark. "Excuse me, is anyone here?" I call out into the house, the silence rings in response. I take off my shoes and walk in. Shinozaki was in the room first on the right. Please be there! I twist the knob and push the door open. As it swings open Shinozaki appears. She's still sat in the wheel chair her eyes are closed, as if sleeping. Her mouth is slightly open and her chest rises and falls gently. Her hands are still on top of the book on her lap. I quickly look around the room but see nobody else inside. I step into the room and peek behind the door. Nobody is there either. The house is quiet, as if time has stopped. All I can here is the ringing of my ears from the silence, and Shinozaki's light breathing. "I'm sorry." I whip around, my heart's thumping quickly replaces the silence. Shinozaki's mother is behind me in the hallway. "I couldn't answer the door earlier. I was a little occupied." She smiles gently, hands folded in front of her. She's wearing that yellow cardigan again. "N-no, I'm sorry for coming in, it's just..." I scratch my head. Shinozaki's mother, Asuka, just smiles. "It's alright, it was my fault for leaving it open. Did you come to visit Ayumi?" She cocks her head slightly with the question. "Yes, but why did you leave the door open? Aren't you worried at all?" Shinozaki can't move, why would you leave the door to your house open, especially if your daughter is like this? Shinozaki's mother simply looks down at her feet before looking back up. "This house isn't as unprotected as you think. Ayato made sure of that. Also... you're the only one who would ever come visit Ayumi." I look away, she's right. The only one who knows about Shinozaki in this world is me. Nobody else remembers, or couldn't remember her like how that clerk at the employment agency didn't remember my face. She mentioned that there was a seal on this room before. Could it be that Shinozaki's father set something up around this entire house? "I'll leave you two together, if you want anything I'll be in the living room. It's the room across from Ayumi's old room." She turns to walk further down the hallway. "Wait. Where's... Shinozaki's father?" Her father, he felt like he has a few screws loose but losing a daughter like that and knowing his other child was possessed. Not only that but what Sachi was trying to do... I guess for any parent that would be tough. She turns back. "Ayato?" A painful smile crosses her face. "He's resting at the moment. The past few days have been... exhausting for him." "Yeah, I guess..." I ball hands into fists. Is Sachi here in this room with me at the moment? "He probably won't wake up until the evening. The ghost of that child is probably resting as well. Last night should be the end for this month." She rubs her right arm. "Ayumi could use some encouragement. It's hard on her as well." It's hard on Shinozaki? What does she mean? "What's wrong with her? Is she hurt?" Shinozaki's mother shakes her head. "It's a natural thing. Just some people are affected more than others. Ayumi's is just a bit heavier than others." Heavier, what is she talking about? "Don't worry about it." Shinozaki's mother waves her hand as if to wave off the conversation. "Just stay by her for a bit and talk to her. I think she would like that. It doesn't matter what about. She's probably a bit lonely, sitting here all day." Asuka turns and walks down the dark hallway. She left the door to the room open. I turn back to Shinozaki. She's still sitting sleeping. I kneel down next to the wheelchair, down to her eye level. "Shinozaki, can you hear me?" She doesn't respond. "Sorry I took so long. I... was looking for ways to help you..." Would removing Sachi be enough to get Shinozaki out of this state? I don't know, but I can't let her possess Shinozaki any longer. "I'm going to work with Niwa Aiko. You remember her? The one who got us mixed up in this mess in the first place. She doesn't remember us, but she seems interested you know?" "I can't remember much about her, but what I do remember of her, I treasure. I owe her a great debt, and as a business woman I make sure to remember my debts." "Yeah, she seemed grateful to you, even though she doesn't remember anything except your gender. I guess she's still got a human heart after all, right?" Shinozaki's sleeping face seems peaceful. This close to her I can smell the scent of freshly washed clothes and shampoo. I guess her parents do take good care of her even though it looks like she hasn't moved an inch from this place. The pale green patient's gown she's wearing looks cold. I reach out to touch her hand. She's warm, human body warmth is conveyed to me through the palm of my hand. My vision gets a little blurry. "Don't worry. I'll get you out of there. Just this one time though. Don't go running off on your own to do something stupid, you got me?" I feel stupid for saying the last line. Shinozaki can't move anywhere. But I know her. Back in Heavenly Host even when she was hyperventilating, panicked, and weak she got up and demanded that we look for Yui-sensei. She's a lot braver than most people think she is. Who knows, maybe she's still fighting inside there, with Sachi. Trying to get back out, or trying to still protect everyone. "Please stop it... please! Don't disappear on me, just like that!" Shinozaki, you didn't stop trying to save everyone, even when I selfishly asked you to save yourself. At the time I didn't want to lose you. There wasn't any resentment or anger. Just the emotion called sadness was all I felt. "Don't worry. It's going to be alright. I promise." I reach up and pat her on the head. Her hair is soft and smooth and it pushes back almost unnoticeably against my palm. She said she liked that. It made her feel safe. I don't know if I can really do anything. Maybe I'm just getting mixed into something I can't handle. I was just a high schooler, not some spiritual medium or psychic. Shinozaki was the one who knew all about that stuff. But I won't give up, so Shinozaki. Sorry, but just wait for a bit. I'll protect you. Shinozaki's breathing changes slightly. It becomes less deep, and her left eye opens up. "! ! ! Shinozaki!" Did she hear me? Is she waking up? "... everyone..." I faintly hear her whisper something. "Shinozaki, did you wake up!" I lean forward and look her in the eye grabbing her shoulders. "...everyone, please be happy..." Her gaze is blank, like when I first saw her. Her unfocused left eye and the faint whisper I heard lacked any sound of life. "... goddammit..." I swear. I had teared up a bit while I was talking to her, now I was openly crying. Drops fell from my eyes and stained the backs of Shinozaki's hands. I let go of her and dig out my handkerchief. "...everyone, please be happy..." She mumbles again. I wipe the back of her hands before I take care of my own tears. "Yeah, they made it out you know? You did it." I put away my handkerchief in my back pocket. Shinozaki continues to stare past me at the mirror. "Let's meet them again, someday." I kneel down on one knee in front of her. "Let's meet all of them, and we'll be friends with them again." Satoshi, Nakashima, Yuka. Everyone who went through that hell, maybe even Niwa as well. Shinozaki doesn't reply, she merely sits and stares at the mirror. I look behind Shinozaki. There was a small round table with an antique looking globe on it and an equally ancient candle stand next to it. This room isn't Shinozaki's I think her mother mentioned it was Hinoe's, her sister's room. I guess they both had similar tastes. Ancient looking books on the occult and various religious texts filled the book shelves and one was lying open on the table next to the globe. It was dark and gloomy, almost as if someone had been in this room moving around, reading and doing things before suddenly disappearing. I know Shinozaki is in this room for protection, but... I want to take her out of here. I want her to smile and laugh. I just want her to look at me. "Shinozaki, I never told you when I came to like you did I?" Come to think of it I never even said I liked her. I never even confessed. It was never the right timing. Right after we got out of Heavenly Host... I couldn't just go out and confess to her. She felt responsible for the people who died there. She came to school and pretended to be normal, but as soon as she finished she disappeared off to somewhere. I guess she was researching about how to get our friends back. "When we first met I just thought you were a weird girl. Crying all of a sudden for a guy you never met... but I was slightly happy about that. I felt for the first time in a long while that someone actually cared about me." That's why I'm in debt to her. She was the one who made me feel worth something. "Thanks to you I stayed in school, and I met Satoshi. When we had to change classes for this year, I was surprised that we were in the same one. After that watching you work as the class president, making friends with the rest of the class. Those first few months I had were really fun." "Until then I only heard about you through school rumors. 'The Ghost Story Class President' When I first heard that I was pretty surprised you know. Since I thought you'd be scared of that sort of stuff. I mean you cried over some random guy like me." I heard from Satoshi when he once complained about how people were making fun of him in his class. I wonder if he would react like he used to do to those stories, now that he's lived through them. "You always came in early and tried to be helpful to everyone. You were the one who organized Suzumoto's farewell party as well. I kept on watching you take on any task or any request thinking, 'that's one strong girl'. Then one day you collapsed because of a fever. When I saw that I kicked myself. Of course you'd collapse. Nobody could do all that and still be fine." When she collapsed she didn't come to school for two days. I was on day duty with her during that time. Usually if you miss your day duty you have to take another shift somewhere else. I erased her name for the days she was supposed to be with me. I'd decided then that I'd try and help her out, in any way I could. Now I guess that's all I have right now. To protect Shinozaki, no matter what. "... everyone, please be happy..." But I don't regret it, Shinozaki doesn't deserve this. She's tried too hard, given too much. I won't let what she did go to waste. I won't let this be the end. Shinozaki, you don't deserve this, so I'll change it. No matter what. "Shinozaki, you're strong, and kind to everyone. It doesn't matter who they are, you always tried to save them. You saved me, in more ways than one." Because Shinozaki was there I was able to make friends. Because of her I remained in school. Thanks to her we saved the souls of our friends and sealed the Nirvana. I love Shinozaki, because that one time she cried for me, and made me feel as if I mattered. So even if no one else remembers her, if nobody else will help her. I will. "... everyone..." Shinozaki continues to repeat those few words, almost like a prayer. "Yeah, I'm sure they're happy." I answer her. "Let's go see them someday." ________________________________________ *trrrrrr trrrrrr The cellphone within Mizuhara Satsuki's pocket rings *click *beep "Yes." "... ... ... ... ... ..." "Right now? But I'm still in school." "... ... ..." "! I understand, if Magari-sama wishes it..." *beep *click "What's wrong, Satsuki-chan?" Mochida Yuka asks her, Satsuki smiles quickly and stands up. "Sorry, Yuka-chi, if the teacher asks tell her I had to go home 'cuz of my family." "Ah, wait Satuski-chan!" Satsuki half jogs out of the classroom and starts running out of the school. Once she leaves the campus the carefree smile and happy go lucky attitude gradually disappear. Instead a blank, vacant look takes its place and she continues running down the streets until she comes to a certain alley way. An old man dressed like a butler waits for her in front of it. "The young lady has requested your assistance." Satsuki doesn't reply. She simply walks past the old man and into the alley. The old man remains behind. Deep in the alley a cracking sound is heard, the sound of snapping joints sounds in the square with no one to hear it. "... sssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Ku..kkkkkkkkkKKKKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR" An inhuman scream, a high pitched roar, neither describe it entirely. *crack, snap, crunch, slurp, gulp *squish, crack, squelch, gulp *creak, snap, crack, crunch, gulp *slurp, slurp, slurp, gulp ... ... ... 3 hours later nothing remains in the square. The only signs of violence are those carved into the building, ground, and the dented garbage bin. The sound of cracking joints sounds again and is then replaced by heavy breathing. The rustle of a plastic bag being opened and the feverish crunch of potato chips being eaten follows. "You did well." Mizuki Magari walks into view, behind her she drags a heavily beaten thug by the collar. Behind both of them the butler holds the remaining two captured felons. Satsuki glances at her quickly and drops the bag of potato chips to the ground. Trembling like a beaten dog she lowers her head and wrings her hands anxiously. "This one isn't worth much so I'm going to use him as an example." Magari throws the one she's holding towards Satsuki. She flinches as the man's body lands at her feet. "Hurry up, what these guys know isn't permanent. They might change locations or times. I need them to talk as quickly as possible." Satsuki continues to wring her hands. The man on the ground stirs and looks up. "... ha, haha. What's this Magari? I thought you were going to make an example of me, you bitch." He chokes out weakly through swollen lips. "... I'm sorry." Satsuki apologizes. The man looks back to her. "What are you apologizing... for... Hey, what's wrong with your eyes? Hey, what the... *crack WHAT THE FU- *SNAP AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *CRACK UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH HUH AHHHHHHH- *SLAP AGHHH, GET IT OFF, PLEASE! HE... *SKRUNCH *splurt, splurt.” "Now, tell me everything you'd think I'd like to know... and you don't have to die like that. Okay?" Magari winks an ice blue eye at the remaining two. The sound of chewing and swallowing continues behind her. Spoiler: click to toggle Kishinuma Family Residence – Real World, Kishinuma Miki
"Miki, why were you there?" Mother asks sadly. "..." I remain silent. "Just tell us, we won't be angry." Her voice is gentle bat sad, Father is sitting next to her and remains silent. We're sat across from each other at the dinner table, me on one side, my parents on the other. This is probably what you would call a family meeting. I had picked the lock of the old school building. There was one near our school that had been abandoned apparently. I wanted to see if I could open an old lever tumbler lock. I am Kishinuma Miki, 15 years old. My hobbies are reading mystery novels and cooking. My future dream is to become a private detective, like Sherlock Holmes. I wanted to try out a lock picking technique that I read about in one of my books. It was just for fun. I just wanted to try it out. After I had opened the door I wanted to explore the inside of the building a little bit. It was old and worn, and was being used by the local delinquents as a hide out. I walked in on them smoking in the old building. And they grabbed me. I wasn't hurt though. A part of the ceiling collapsed after I screamed. It hit the guy who had my arm on the shoulder and he dropped his cigarette. They had managed to salvage an old gas heater and re-fill it. I knocked it over when I struggled and the cigarette landed right in it. Miraculously, nobody died. I escaped from the building while the delinquents panicked. A teacher spotted and caught me. The police and fire department were called. The fire was contained and most of the boys who were there were caught. The school didn't expel anyone, all of them were 'transferred' to other schools far away. I didn't give a statement. I was too scared. After that for a couple of weeks my parents walked or drove me to school, even though they both had jobs to go to. "Miki..." Mother says again. "Are you trying to drag your sister in with you!" "Shut up old man, she has nothing to do with this!" "I don't care whether you trash your life, but don't take your sister down with you." "You're one to talk! You weren't exactly a model student either!" *CRACK "UGH" *THUMP "Oni-chan!" "Dear!" "..." "Get out of here." "Father?!" "I said get out of here. You aren't my son. I never had one." "... fine." "Miki... we won't be angry, so just talk to us." "... I'm sorry Mother, Father. I... I..." ________________________________________ My name is Kishinuma Miki. I'm the only child to two parents who met when they were in high school. They graduated but had me soon after. Both my parents managed to make it through university, even while raising me. Father's a general manager in some company, I don't know he specifics. Mother works too, she's a sales woman at the local electronics shop. I'm an only child but whenever I see one of my friends with their siblings... I get a little jealous. Sometimes I day dream, about having an older brother. But it's weird. Sometimes my imagination is very strange. Sometimes my day dreams aren't happy at all. I hug myself briefly. I'm still recovering from that scare I had at the old building of our school. Even if all the people involved got sent to different prefectures. It's still scary. "Miki!" "Oni-chan!" "Get away from her you bastards!" *CRASH "Ow! The hell you doing?!" "Hey, Kishinuma you know this chick?" "She's my sister you assholes!" "Oh, my bad my bad, I didn't know." "You think that makes this alright?!" "He said it was his bad, we were just playing around a bit." "Playing... around? You bastards... do you even know what the fuck you were doing?" "Hey I said I'm sorry, jeez- If I knew it was your sister I wouldn't have touched her." "! ! ! You BASTARD!" *SMACK, CLANG *FWOOOSH "Oh shit it's on fire!" "What are we going to do?!" "Miki, come on let's go!" ... ... ... The entire time I was there. I felt as if someone was supposed to save me. When I was with my parents, for some reason... even though I was the only one there. I heard someone else's voice. "... *sigh I wonder if I'm going crazy... huh?" I was walking home after school. I was supposed to go straight home, but my feet had taken me somewhere I'd never gone before. But it felt strangely familiar. "Where is this?" There wasn't much there. A few houses, a public bath, and a convenience store. I kept on walking, I've never been here, but I know the way. I arrive in front of a small apartment building, only two stories high. "..." I simply look up to the second floor from the street. "Oni-chan, are you alright on your own?" "I'm alright. It happens to everyone someday. I just flew the nest early." "I don't know, maybe if we go back to father we can..." "No, this is better. Even if it's just for now." "? I'm... crying?" A tear had fallen down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away with my handkerchief. I wonder why, standing here makes me feel nervous, but at the same time a little happy. Like I'll meet someone I haven't met in a long time. The gate to the apartment complex was open. It looks like the lock broke from old age. I push it and it creaks open. I've never been here, I've never seen this building, but for some reason... I'm not scared. The stairs are on the far right side of the building, metal rusting slightly but sturdy looking. My feet make it ring lightly with every step while my heart rings my ears. I walk past the doors to each room, looking at the name plates as I go by. "Kishinuma?" One name plate has the same family name as me. My chest hurts. I feel nervous, scared, but... *ding dong! I rang the doorbell. This is pretty bad... What if someone completely random comes out? Should I just say I got the wrong name? But then who am I looking for in the first place? Should I just run? I've never actually done this prank where you ring someone's door bell and then run away. Oh no, Oh no! I can't think of anything to say! Um... uh... huh? There's no sound from inside the room. I can't hear anyone making their way to the door or even walking around inside. I press the doorbell again. *ding dong! Again, nothing. "Fu, haaaaaaaa. Nobody's home. phew!" I feel slightly silly worrying about it so much. I look back at the door. It still bothers me. Who lives here I wonder? Why do I want to meet them? I look back at the name plate. "I guess I should go home." I leave the building. Really, I guess I'm just overly stressed. Even for me this was weird. I take one last look at the building... "I'll be back again Oni-chan!" "Alright, but you don't have to come so often." "If I don't come you'll probably end up eating nothing but convenience store lunches and school meals. That's not healthy at all, you've got to have a balanced diet!" "Okay, okay. Take care on your way home, call if you need anything." "Yes. See you next week Oni-chan." "See you next week Oni-chan." I cover my mouth immediately with both hands. I can feel my face turning red from embarrassment. Luckily nobody was around to hear that. I quickly turn around and start running home. ... ... ... Lately, every time I'm tired or sad or just want to talk about something, I've been coming to this apartment. Every time I end up standing in front of that door. I tried the doorbell a couple more times, but each time nobody replied. But it was strange, even though there was no one there as I stood in front of that door. I'd start to feel better. As if someone was listening to me. I didn't actually talk to the door. I'd just stand in front of it for an hour, and I'd start to feel better. I guess I was day dreaming during that time. Today I'd stopped by the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner. It was going to be curry, but Mother apparently had some groceries delivered. "*sigh She could have told me before she went to work. I guess she's busier than ever though." The recent events with those weird pillars had everyone scared. I had been at home when it happened. Mother was home but Father was at work, he had taken some overtime. Luckily no one in my family was hurt. But I couldn't visit the apartment for a while. They had turned the park nearby into a refugee camp and the area was patrolled by police officers and SDF members. Today was the first time in a long while that I was able to come visit. I don't ring the doorbell anymore. Whoever used to live here is probably long gone. Still, I would have liked to meet them. I wonder what they were like? I take up my usual spot, leaning against the wall of the corridor of the second floor of the apartment complex. In front of the door with the name plate 'Kishinuma'. I have the groceries in front of me. I guess I'll have to hope they last out of the fridge for a day. *clang clang clang clang ? ? ? Footsteps? Is someone coming up the stairs, it sounds more like they're running. A high school boy with bleached hair runs out into the corridor from the stairs. "Miki..." "Oni-chan." ________________________________________ ? ? ? – DPAJO - o8E&10A+I05*110+III&1ZZ+097w1o7*105 "Emotions are powerful things. They dictate our actions, color our memories, obscure our vision, and cloud our judgement. But, thanks to those same feelings you can find what you once lost, or never had in the first place. I wonder if my emotions weren't strong enough... but it doesn't matter. A little bit more, just a little bit more." "Wait for me. U9d&(E!-i'Y." Edited by Zaion, January 3, 2015, 5:39 pm.
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Check out my fanfic Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aftermath. I can also translate from Japanese to English. Open to requests. | |
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| Zaion | January 3, 2015, 5:53 pm Post #15 |
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FanFiction writer/Translator/Character Bio writer
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This is the end of the preview to Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aftermath. The story is taking place in between the five year gap of Corpse Party: Blood Drive and Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient. If you wish to read the rest simply type in the name of my fic into Google and you should be able to find the rest. I would continue posting here but the constant formatting has drained my spirits quite a bit. I hope you have enjoyed the prelude to Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aftermath. I'll put a teaser here from one of the other chapters I've written. Spoiler: click to toggle Outside Mizuki Magari’s Estate – Real World
The flames from the van continued to light up the steep drive way and front gate of Magari’s old home. Blue night was ripped apart by the dancing orange flames around her. With the creaking of bent metal she stands up from her crouched position. Her scythe, which was impaled in the van’s roof behind her, scrapes against the edges of the torn metal and plastic. Frowning she grunts and yanks out the point almost tearing off the roof it was stuck in. The van moans like a wounded animal. Her smile returns as she turns towards us and jumps off the burning vehicle. The gravel scatters upon her landing. “Good evening, everyone. Nice to see you all here.” She balances the scythe between her right shoulder and arm. Her left fist rests on her hip. “But I don’t remember inviting guests over tonight.” Her eyes narrow as she surveys us. “I haven’t even prepared any entertainment for you.” Niwa’s men step back from her gingerly, as if she was some large predator. Although her appearance was of a sixteen-year old girl with only about a meter and a half in height, five grown men were backing away from her. If the scythe wasn’t there the scene would almost be comical, but the only one smiling here is her and it’s not one of mirth. A predatory smirk, the expression of someone or something far superior looking down on those below it is pointed at the six of them. “Did you come here looking for something?” She takes a step forward. Flames light her up from behind. Their crackling is the only other sound in the silent night. “Or just wanted to do some exploring?” Magari sighs before looking up towards the sky. “Really now Aiko-chan, if you wanted to see what it looked like inside you should have really come here yourself.” Slowly she lifts her weapon off of her shoulder and holds it upside down between her index and middle finger. Swaying it from side to side like a pendulum. “Do you like experiencing the death of your men that much?” Niwa’s men don’t answer, but the atmosphere grows heavy with hostility. One of them holds his quaking left arm back with his right. The hand attached to the shaking appendage is balled into a fist with rage. Magari snorts, losing her smile. “Quiet as always.” The swinging blade travels back one more time before accelerating forward. It loops around in the air, twirled by her fingers. The tip brushes against the ground drawing a line before rising high in the night air. A sound, like a wet finger travelling over the rim of a wine glass, rings from the blade. The reflection of the similarly shaped moon floats across its surface before Magari brings its rotation to a halt. “Boring...” With a clank it returns to her shoulder. A slight gust disturbs the trees around them. Her ice blue eyes make the already chilly night drop a few more degrees. They travel across the group before landing on the only individual not wearing a suit. “Kishinuma Yoshiki, nice to see you again.” Her smile returns. “Good to see you survived.” Yoshiki already had San readied in front him, his footing in the proper position for attack or retreat. The night chill was already overwritten by the spiritual cold of the blade shutting off signals of pain and exhaustion. “It would have been boring if you kicked the bucket there. You’ve done even better than I expected.” Her eyes glance over his torn and bloodied shirt. “I was half expecting to have to drag your half-dead body out myself, but it looks like Aiko beat me to it. Although...” The fist resting against her hip unravels before joining the other on the handle of the scythe. “That option is still on the table.” Yoshiki takes a step back and his hands tighten around the hilt. Is this what a mouse feels like when it realizes a cat is staring at it, or a frog just before a snake swallows it? “I guess that woman helped a bit as well, didn’t she? How have you been doing, Shinozaki San?” A glint of blue unrelated to the moon light sparks from along the blade. “Glad to see you haven’t lost your head at seeing me again.” She grins. “What’re you here for, Magari.” Yoshiki’s tone is low as he glares at her. She blinks then smiles back. “Not much, I just thought it rude that you would all come to my old retreat for a party without inviting me.” She closes her eyes and shrugs. “I also wanted to pick a couple of things while I was here, but...” Her eyes snap open and glare at all of us. “Somebody’s already taken them.” The scythe clinks in her hands and Niwa’s men reach into their suit jackets for something. “So which one of you little sheep thought it would be a good idea to take a few souvenirs?” The area is silent before Yoshiki takes an angry step forward, sword point still towards Magari. “What are you talking about?” He growls. “If you’re talking about San I’m not giving her to you.” Magari snorts, “You can keep that, I’m not interested in a Katana possessed by a dead woman’s spirit.” She looks around at the others. “I’m looking for something else, my servants.” The scythe glints with the moonlight as her arms shift slightly. “I knew they were in the mansion today, but between then and now I lost the ability to sense what was inside while I was delayed.” Her face twists with rage. “And when I arrive I see six of you leaving my mansion with the spell broken and the presence of my servants missing. Get the picture?” Chills run down the backs of everyone there. The skin around their necks felt tender as if something sharp was pressed against it. Yoshiki’s brow furrows. ‘Servants?’ he thought. The multiple visions he experienced cycled through his head. Wald had said those five were the servants of that little girl. At first he had thought it was Magari’s past he had looked into, but the little girl was there as a separate entity. She had been inside the house and hadn’t changed a bit from the visions he saw. She even referred to Magari as a different person. So why was she referring to the little girl’s servants as her own? She did that in the last vision he had as well, the one showing her escape from the mansion. “So, who has them?” Magari’s voice rouses him from his thoughts. Neither she nor Niwa’s men have moved from their places. One of Niwa’s men glances back at Yoshiki before pointing his sunglasses at Magari again. They had just arrived here. It had taken longer to prepare the appropriate equipment and members for this operation. Preparing for multiple supernatural scenarios wasn’t easy. Therefore, they knew it was impossible for any of them to have carried something out of the house. The only person who could have was standing right behind them. “I see, not going to come clean are you?” Yoshiki remained silent. To him Magari was always someone to be cautious around. However he had yet to see her seriously harm anyone who he would classify as innocent. When he was trying to enter Heavenly Host after Shinozaki, he had tailed her after overhearing her relation with Niwa Aiko. He had watched from afar as she took out two delinquents who had cornered a waitress from a maid café. One was knocked unconscious. The other was lifted up by the neck and strangled with her left hand. When the girl stopped her from crushing the punk’s neck, she threatened to kill her instead before strangling her in the same manner as the punk. But she didn’t kill her, she let her go. In the Nirvana Magari had saved Shinozaki’s life when some ‘thing’ in the pool grabbed her while they were looking for the pillars of the Nirvana. Yoshiki couldn’t do anything at that time so he was thankful for that to some degree. She had even helped them save Satoshi’s little sister Yuka as well as her friend Satsuki. Even after he had returned from there the only people he had seen her actively hurt were him and what looked like Cult members. What he had seen in the house firmly shifted her image from eccentric to malicious. Shinozaki San wasn’t a living saint, but her murder followed by the desecration of her corpse wasn’t something he could ignore. Neither could he forget the little girl underneath the bed. Both of these people may not have been guiltless but they didn’t deserve that treatment. Mizuki Magari would not receive his help, he had decided that internally the moment she stood before him again. “Then how’s this sound?” She rested her weapon against her shoulder again. “Aiko-chan, you like business right? Give and take, equivalent exchange, what was it you often liked to say? That these two ‘are as strong as the bonds of friendship’?” Niwa’s men bristle at her comment but don’t move. She smiles at them before continuing. “Then as an old Kouhai(junior) of yours why don’t you do some business with me?” She takes a step forward towards them. “I lost sight of five important items inside that house.” Her free hand stretches forwards and wiggles five fingers. “One of your pawns has them. I’ll give you back the life of one of your men for each item that is returned to me” she closes her open hand into fist. “How’s it sound, Aiko-‘sempai’?” The shadows cast on the ground by the burning car seem to wiggle and dance, but not from the writhing flames behind her. They have grown so dark the ground they are on is no longer visible. An undulating mass of black seems to creep along the ground. Niwa’s men grimace and take a step back. They still haven’t taken out the hand that reached inside their suits. If they did bring out their weapons that would be all the encouragement Magari would need to begin combat. A fight between them and her would be cataclysmically bad for them. They were prepared to deal with spiritual barriers and overlapping dimension. Their plan was to find their target and immediately escape with it. A full on fight was not what they were prepared for. Survival for a couple of moments may be possible, but if they clashed with her directly it would be the equivalent of a sports car playing chicken with a dump truck. Yoshiki grimaced. He had an idea of what she was talking about. There was something he had picked up inside the mansion, five of them. The gears, each with a name engraved on it. Why she called them servants he didn’t know but the fact that he held the lives of Niwa’s subordinates wasn’t the only thing aggravating him. Magari hadn’t even bothered to mention the girl inside the mansion. “So, what’s your answer?” The shadow in front of her twitches, its outline no longer resembles the human it comes from. “Shit...” Yoshiki takes his left hand off of San and reaches inside his pocket. Taking out the gears he sticks them out towards her. “It’s these you want, right Magari? Take them.” A slight look of surprise comes across her before quickly restoring an amused expression. “I didn’t know you had such sticky fingers Kishinuma Yoshiki,” she crosses her arms before continuing “but I guess you did pick up San after all. If I find any of my underwear in your possession death won’t be the only thing waiting for you.” She starts walking towards him. Niwa’s men part on both ways effectively surrounding her as she approaches. “Sorry to disappoint but I don’t have such a hobby.” Yoshiki drops the gears into her outstretched palm and she glances over them briefly to confirm their number before placing them in a pocket in her skimpy outfit. “You’re right, you prefer groping people’s breasts out of the blue don’t you.” She grinned up at him. “If that’s all you wanted then get out of the way.” Yoshiki begins to push past her. “I don’t want to even see your annoying face right now.” “Oh, it seems I’ve been disliked, did you see something in there Kishinuma Yoshiki?” Her voice comes from behind him. He stops, his fists clenched. “Yeah, I saw enough. I guess you aren’t any better than those occult freaks after all.” The sound of something heavy rushing through the air sounds behind him “! ! ! Kuh!” He ducks. Magari’s scythe blade gashes the air above his head from his left. A few blond hairs are blown away into the night. San warns him of another attack but he doesn’t have time to dodge. Instead he guards with his right arm shielding his face. “GAH!” The blow connect, a leg impacts him from the same side as the weapon. Magari’s kick sends him sprawling to the side. Niwa’s men draw out their weapons at the first signs of violence but the attack of the Master Mizuki Magari, previously one of the Head of the Grave of Maltuva, had already begun. Black shadows erupted from behind her charging forward into the first salvo of bullets blocking them. The projectiles were swallowed by the shadows harmlessly before proceeding to engulf the bodies of the shooter. Like an amoeba swallowing up a smaller micro-organism, the black shadows sent sheets of black material around their bodies. Wrapping them in folds of darkness leaving only their head and shoulders exposed. Yoshiki quickly picks himself up just in time to see the last of Niwa’s men collapse to the ground, bound in shadows. “Magari! What the hell are you doing?! I thought we had a deal?” he quickly regains his footing and raises San, pointing her towards Magari’s face. “I said one life for each item returned...” She takes a step forward before pointing the top of her scythe at Yoshiki. “but unfortunately there are six people here!” A sweet smile forms on her face. “You can save yourself if you want to, just choose which one of these sheep you want to trade for yourself.” “! ! ! You!” He scowls at her amused expression. “Time to pay your debts, Kishinuma Yoshiki!” She charges forward, with her scythe raised. “Huk! Kuh!” The first blow comes from Magari, the scythe arcs from above and is deflected by the katana. 75 cm of compressed steel slides against the blade of the scythe. Sparks burst from between the two surfaces singing Yoshiki’s hair. Her wide eyed smile grows larger as she lets loose two more lethal cuts. “Ugh! Hnnn!” Kishinuma Yoshiki barely repels Magari’s scythe again. It was heavier yet faster than his blade. The only reason he could stop it was because he already knew, how this blade would kill him. San’s experience made his arms and body strike at the same time maximizing the power behind each block. But there was a limit to that. “Ah, haaaaaa- good, very good...” Magari pauses while Yoshiki back pedals. Partially from the force of the parried blows, partially to put some distance between them. “Kishinuma, Yoshiki, you’ve learned a few tricks since we last met.” Niwa’s men continue to grunt and strain against their restraints, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to get free any time soon. “Did Shinozaki San give you a couple of pointers?” She swipes at his head with her scythe and Yoshiki avoids it again. San’s experience as a swordswoman is allowing him to read Magari’s movements and her range. He stands at the bare edge of it dodging her attacks by a hair’s breadth. Preserving the distance he gained earlier he continues to avoid her attacks with as little energy as possible. Her weapon is heavy and her attacks are overzealous and inefficient. A person’s stamina is not limitless, eventually they should tire and either give up or make a mistake. Another blow comes from Magari. Her scythe sweeps in from the right left. Yoshiki jumps back to avoid it letting the weapon roar past him in the space his chest was. Suddenly she steps in again even faster than the first time. The gap between them disappears in an instant. He can see himself reflected in her frigid gaze. The second blow comes from the left. It is unavoidable. His legs are already outstretched, the feet in the air leaving him nothing to push against should he try to dodge. The only option is to deflect it. San intercepts the blade killing its momentum by striking against it before dispersing the rest upwards through a shove from below. The deflected point nearly grazes Yoshiki’s forehead as his arms scream in pain along with the blade’s metal cries. “GA-HAH!” The blow knocks him backwards onto his back. Without proper footing or balance he was swatted to the ground like a fly. It’s a wonder his ribcage is intact from the impact. He has time to cough once before rolling to avoid the butt of the scythe as Magari stabs it downwards. Dirt and gravel explode from the impact getting in his hair before he can get back up to his feet. The distance between them has returned to its original value. But Yoshiki cannot count on the on it to avoid her attacks. If she uses speed like that he won’t be able to get out of her range in time. In that case holding his position and retaining his footing would be more effective. Deflecting her attacks was difficult and more energy intensive than dodging, however, being slammed into the ground like that would not only take more of his stamina. It was potentially lethal. He clears his throat before spitting to the side. Red dotted the mucus that came from his lungs. Magari turns to face him again before pulling out the butt of her weapon from the ground with a grunt. She’s not even sweating. “Kishinuma... Yoshiki...” She smiles euphorically while speaking his name. “Very good, wonderful. I wouldn’t have expected something like this from a normal person. Even as a Heavenly Host survivor this is surprising.” “That’s my line.” He retorts, quickly using his torn sleeve to wipe the perspiration running down his brow. “Although I’d get rid of the ‘normal’ bit. What the hell do you eat to get that strong?” A pained grin comes across his face as his lungs pant, desperately trying to replenish the oxygen supply in his blood. “Candies, cakes, sweets, the odd cup of tea...” She counts off on her free hand before raising it to hide a cheeky grin, “Oh, and the occasional bath in the blood of the unclean and unfaithful.” She chuckles lightly. The image of San’s body flashes through his mind and his teeth grind against each other. Magari observes his angered expression with a calm smile before charging forwards again. She delivers a blow to his head from the side. San shows him the telegraphed attack and predicts that she’s using too much strength. This is the mistake they’ve been waiting for. Even though she didn’t show it perhaps she was getting tired? He ducks under it leaving her bare stomach open to a counter attack. His blade will cut through her stomach allowing her insides to spill out. The tip will cut through the skin and muscle holding the organs in place. It will be lethal, even for Mizuki Magari, the blood loss alone should result in death. But he doesn’t exploit the opportunity. Instead, grimacing, he uses the time she spends recovering from her swing to put some more distance between them. “Why didn’t you attack?!” San’s voice rings in his head. “It didn’t work!” He yells back. The vision he saw confirmed what he already knew. Mizuki Magari was a monster. In the brief instant before his blade pierced the skin of her stomach her scythe which had been overextended far away from him had been twirled like a baton in front of her. The handle, technically called a snath, knocked his weapon aside before the repositioned blade sliced his chest in return. It ripped through his arms separating them from his biceps before sending his chest and shoulder flying through the air. In a melee fight between two people many factors determine the victor. Skills, technique, terrain, experience but in the end two factors stand out above all. Speed and power, if you are faster and stronger than your opponent you have a massive advantage over them no matter what techniques or skills they may possess. Yoshiki’s opponent far surpasses him in these two areas. Even if a counter attack was technically the correct move it didn’t matter against someone who’s physical abilities were so above his own. Practitioners of martial arts may disagree with the above. By arguing how physically weaker masters can take on younger students in a match and win. But that is because the difference in experience between the two is large enough to fill in the difference in physical ability. However, it is rare to find martial artists taking down bears or lions with their bare hands. This is because, although a bear has no skill or technique, the difference in physical output is too large to overcome. Mizuki Magari’s physical prowess is abnormal, beyond human logic. A seventeen year old girl, especially with limbs that thin and with no obvious muscles, should not be able to even lift the weapon she hurls around like a toy. But from that frame only a little over a meter and a half tall comes enough strength to rip wild animals in two, let alone humans. On top of that Magari is not stupid. Feints, false openings, traps her fighting style has these mixed in with her blunt, frontal attacks. Combined together fighting her is like sailing into a maelstrom; unpredictable, overwhelming, and utterly lethal to the careless and overconfident. Absolute control, that is what Mizuki Magari has over this battle. Her strength, speed, stamina, and tactics are all greater than Kishinuma Yoshiki’s. A frontal fight it suicide, a battle of attrition is lost from the beginning, counterattacking when she makes a mistake could merely be him diving into a trap. There is no hope for Kishinuma Yoshiki to win. She attacks twice more. Each time her arms use more strength than necessary digging her weapon into the ground the first time, the trunk of a tree the next. Both times are obvious opportunities to strike from Yoshiki’s perspective but he knows that those are traps as well. Her weapon isn’t nullified just because it’s buried in dirt or wood. She doesn’t even need it to kill him, her brute strength is enough. By not attacking he prolongs the fight denying her the killing blow. If Magari has absolute control then Yoshiki has absolute knowledge. Every attack, trick, or trap that would lead to his demise he could avoid with his ‘death precognition’. No matter how enticing an opportunity she left Yoshiki knew what she was planning. Therefore the one who was supposed to be the absolute victor in this fight could not win against Yoshiki. In turn Yoshiki himself could not defeat Magari. It was a stalemate between overwhelming power against impeccable knowledge. “Why aren’t you attacking?” Frowning she rips her weapon out of the tree. Its shattered trunk creaks before buckling. Toppling to the side it takes down its neighbors. “Are you pretending to be a gentleman or something? Don’t bother, that image won’t suit you.” “Shit...” He mutters under his breath, she’s catching on. After all, those openings are far too enticing to let go. Even now San’s irritation courses through him. If he was unarmed or simply inexperienced avoiding her would be perfectly natural. But with both parties armed not attacking when the enemy is vulnerable means there was a reason not to. Either the attacker did not want to harm them, or they knew attacking there would be meaningless. Yoshiki has displayed hostility towards Magari therefore the former is unlikely, and if it is the latter... His ability will be found out, the one advantage he has over Magari. If it does then that’s it he will lose. There are many non-lethal methods of attacking a person. All she has to do is either exhaust him to the point he can’t act on the knowledge he gains, or attack him with non-lethal means. She crouches down like a sprinter. Her body is a gun and the hammer has just been pulled back. She stretches out her right hand holding the scythe behind her. Then the ground explodes in a cloud of dust as an inhumane step blasts her forward, a blur of gold and silver rushes towards Yoshiki. “! ! ! Shit!” He ducks as the blade passes over his head. Relief fills him for a moment before Magari’s free hand grabs his collar. He is carried two meters from the transferred momentum, before the material snaps, throwing him into the ground. “Guwaaaahh! GAH, *Cough, Dammit!” Swearing he regains his footing and looks around for his assailant. She stands, with her back to him, in between the two broken gates. Her scythe dug into the ground to halt her charge. She lifts a hand with the middle and index finger extended and points them at him. Two blob like shadows burst from the split earth and strike him. “Huff, HAH!” The blade sings against the air. Shinozaki San’s years of experience assist Yoshiki’s clumsy swings refining them into serviceable strikes instead of slaps with the flat. The first shadow is struck cross wise and he dodges the shriveling remainders of its corpse as they fly past him. The other he strikes vertically from bottom to top, leaving the sword above his head. Magari’s scythe snaps through the bisected shadow and is intercepted by the third strike prepared by previous cut. She relieved her weapon from the ground while he dealt with the first shadow and attacked as he cut down the second. Only San’s combat instinct had him prepare the sword so he could perform an overhead swing right after his underhanded one. Once again in melee range Magari tries to use her superior strength to crush him but San’s foot and blade work allow him to keep his distance. He lets her blade slide off to the left while he steps right. This minor gap between them quickly grows as her monstrous strength carries her further than she wants. Magari clicks her tongue in annoyance then smiles wickedly. Her weapon swings behind her, knees bent. Yoshiki prepares to dodge, anticipating another frontal assault. But she isn’t touching the ground. It looks more like a batter winding up for a homerun rather than a sprinter preparing for a race. “HrrraaaaaaAAGGGHHH!” A bestial cry, Yoshiki is paralyzed for a moment by the pure ferocity in her voice. She cuts the air, the scythe turns into a sheet of silver, blurred with its speed. The air along the cut seems to bend. “Nghwaah!” Yoshiki dives to the ground. San forced him down, snapping him out of his daze and collapsing his legs causing him to drop to the dirt. *WHOOSH… SLAM, CRACK, SNAP, CRACK… BOOOOOM! The trees behind him have their branches snapped and twigs torn. It looks like a bomb had gone off near them. Magari’s scythe is not aerodynamic. The point of the blade is pointed in the wrong way for it to be even considered for that. Her scythe doesn’t cut through the air. It tears through it, like a dull paper knife through an envelope. The weapon, when pulled through the air, had violently torn a hole through it. A vacuum, an empty space carved out by the brute force of Magari’s swing. A column of air 11km high just had its supports knocked out from beneath it, and collapsed. The crumpling void had released a pressure wave in the shape of a blade. This had just blasted above Yoshiki’s head, obliterating the tops of the trees above him as they missed their target. The sonic boom roared in the night after the blast had passed him. But he doesn’t know this, all he knows is that he is still breathing and the hunter trying to catch him is still in front of him. He scrabbles up as her weapon sweeps down upon him. The Scythe rips beautiful parabolas in the night sky. The sword desperately swings to meet it. Both their blades clash spraying sparks and ring the night with cries of metal on metal. My arms burn, sweat runs down my face and into my eyes stinging them. But I don’t have time to wipe them away. Magari swings again and I barely step out of the way. The point slams through the dirt burrowing into it. I step in raising the sword getting ready to strike her from above. A vision flashes through my head and I immediately leap backwards. Magari clicks her tongue in annoyance. She had planned to cut me in two by pretending she had lost control of her weapon again and got it stuck in the ground. She’s already tried this tactic before, is she running out of ideas? A small explosion goes off in front of me as her scythe bursts out of the ground. Dirt and grit fly into my eyes and mouth, blinding me. I spit and shake my head to get it out but then immediately swing to my right. *CLANG! SKRRRRRRT Magari swung right after she had blinded me. I only knew where to block because I felt the blade cut through my right arm before ending the vision. Suddenly something heavy impacts my chest. *WHUMP! “Gaha!” Magari’s shoulder had slammed into me. I felt my rib cage crack from her tackle. My vision sparks as I skid across the ground. I struggle to get my breath back. My chest burns and I could feel tears at the corner of my eyes. “Get up!” San’s voice wakes me up from the pain. I grit my teeth and stumble to my feet. “LEFT!” her voice is the only warning I get before another blow sends me sprawling. My arms and legs ache, my chest burns. My vision is hazy with pain and exhaustion. I can’t last much longer. “What’s the matter Kishinuma Yoshiki, tired already?” Magari twirls the scythe in one hand again. She doesn’t even look out of breath. Her cold eyes look down at me. I grit my teeth. “… Don’t screw with me…” I pick myself again and lift up the sword with both hands. “I’m not dying here…” “Hmm, I don’t know about you but what does San say?” San’s cold anger pulses through me, but I can also tell she’s worried. I know myself I’m almost out of steam. Just holding the sword is causing my hands to tremble. Magari tilts her head and smiles. “! ! !” Magari blurred forward. I didn’t see a vision but San guides me. I jump back but it’s too late. Her fist slams into my stomach. “UGH!” The blow sends me flying. I catch a glimpse of the moon before I slam into the dirt. “GUH… kah…” The wind was knocked out of me. Even before wanting to throw up my body sucks in air to replace what was violently expelled. I blink and Magari’s scythe lies next to my head. The point lightly pricks my neck. “I see, so that reaction speed only works against lethal blows.” Fuck, she knows. It doesn’t matter either way. Even if I knew she was going to kill me I wouldn’t be able to move. My arms and legs have completely given out, I can’t even feel them. “What a shame, now that I know that beating you seems too easy.” The point digs into my neck. “KUH, UGH…hhrrrrrggkkk” It hurts, the point digs into my neck tearing open the capillaries underneath my skin. The point feels like its ripping apart my nerves one by one. Every slight movement is transmitted from it to my brain in the form of pain. I close my eyes and focus on my arms. They don’t move but I can see San in the corner of my eye still held by my left hand. My body must have completely shut down though. I can’t feel the handle at all. “Fufufu, you’re still trying, how cute.” She removes the point and the stabbing pain is replaced with a dull throb. The cold point of metal is replaced by the warm wetness of my blood. “If you become mine I could spare you, you know. I’ll keep you as a pet. I’ll feed you and play with you every day.” She steps towards me scythe at her side. “What do you think? It’s a good idea isn’t it?” “…Don’t… SCREW WITH ME!” I use my entire body for one last blow. Any muscle left in my body is applied to it. My arms don’t function anymore. The hand simply clenches the handle as hard as possible as I use my powerless limb as a whip. It misses her completely and I collapse in a heap at her feet. “Ahahaha, you don’t have to throw yourself at my feet you know. A simple yes would have been alright.” She kneels down and grabs my chin with one hand. I can feel the bone creaking in her hand. “You can’t go back to a normal world anymore.” She looks into my eyes and we’re close enough that I can hear her breathing. “It’ll be safer by my side than anywhere else. I’ll take good care of you.” A cold smile appears on her face. “After all, you’ve already crossed the line. How did it feel, killing someone?” “...Fuck you...” Her grip tightens and the image of the lower half of my face being crushed into pulp flashes through my head. I wait to hear the snapping sound of bone before the spatter of blood bursting through flesh torn by its own support structure. But she lets go. The hot pain is replaced with the chill of the night air before her hand grabs me by the neck. She stands up dragging me with her. “…What a disobedient little dog. But that’s not too bad either.” I feel her grip harden. Blood and oxygen are shut off. The sound of my neck creaking rings through my skull as her fingers bite into my skin. Everything goes grey. *BANG! CLINK! Suddenly I’m falling. “Guh! Kah!” I cough and wheeze as my heart beats rapidly to replenish my brain. Magari had dropped me on the ground. I lie collapsed in a pile in front of her but she’s not looking at me. Her face is pointed towards her left. Two more cars have pulled up behind the burnt one and more of Niwa’s henchmen pile out. There are almost 2 dozen men in black suits wearing sunglasses facing her. “Aiko, what do you think you’re doing?” Magari asks one of the men calmly. “The Vice-president would appreciate it if you would allow us to retrieve our co-workers.” One of the men has a handgun pointed at Magari. The rest pull out similar weapons from inside their jackets. One of them reaches inside the car and pulls out a shotgun. “Interesting, has she forgotten about my magic?” Magari takes a step forward and I hear a series of clicks. “The Vice president is a quick learner.” “... So she’s finally grown a spine, about time. Fine, I’ve got what I’ve came for and had my fun. I can call it a night.” She rests her scythe on her shoulder and turn around. “Until we meet again, Kishinuma Yoshiki.” I watch as she walks towards her estate. Black mist seeps out of the ground and wraps around her hiding her from view. When I blink the mist is already dissipating. Magari is nowhere in sight. Niwa’s men lower their weapons and the one who spoke to Magari starts barking orders. “Get the tow truck up here. We’ll need to clear this wreckage as soon as possible. Contact the local police force and delay their dispatches. Don’t enter the estate. We need to debrief Kishinuma-san first. Medics check him out and someone get a stretcher.” I black out as two suited men walk over towards me. |
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Check out my fanfic Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aftermath. I can also translate from Japanese to English. Open to requests. | |
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| Skybird | January 3, 2015, 7:23 pm Post #16 |
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Grindblues
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Ah. I knew I recognize the title from somewhere. I've seen this fanfiction on FF.net for awhile now. I'll add the link to the proper fanfiction page itself: [Of course, WARNING: It contains BloodDrive spoilers] https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10596223/1/Corpse-Party-Blood-Drive-Aftermath |
| [ - Gran is the real deal. - ] | |
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| Zaion | March 18, 2015, 6:04 pm Post #17 |
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FanFiction writer/Translator/Character Bio writer
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SatoXmi fluff scene from my fic. Spoiler: click to toggle A dark room, two figures are facing each other. Both of them are seated on a bed. The outlines suggest one is male the other is female.
"N-naomi, are you ready?" Mochida Satoshi's voice rings nervously in the dark room. "Y-yeah..." Nakashima Naomi's voice is equally as nervous. Her strong, energetic voice stutters uncharacteristically. "Alright, I'm putting it in, okay?" Satoshi put his left hand on Naomi's shoulder. "J-just hurry up already!" Naomi shivers slightly at the contact before trying to hold herself as still as possible. Her back is ramrod stiff but her hands and feet are trembling. "Got it." "Uh, OW!" "Sorry! Did it hurt?" "No it's alright, it just stung a bit." "Sorry, it's my first time doing something like this..." "It's okay it's my first time having something like this done to me." "Does it still hurt?" "No, it's fine now." "Phew, that's good." *SLAM Suddenly the door bursts open silhouetting a figure in a blue smock. The light from the hallway halos the trembling figure of Mochida Yuka. Her face is red from embarrassment and her fists are shaking with anger. "O-o-o-o-ONIIIII-CHAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO NAOMI ONEE-CHAN!" "Whoa! Yuka! What's wrong!" "'D-d-d-don't 'What's wrong' me Oni-chan! Th-that sort of thing... Huh?" She stops, her anger fizzles out like a match dropped in a bucket of water. "What are you doing?" Mochida Satoshi and Naomi are sitting on her bed. A small bottle is held in Satoshi's right hand. Both are fully clothed and the bed is cleanly made. No wrinkles are on the blankets or their outfits. "Oh, Naomi couldn't put in her eye drops today so she asked for me to help. It's actually rather hard to do." He lifted up the bottle and screwed the cap back on. A small amount of liquid that looks like water sloshes around it silently as the cap seals it. "It was scary for me to! I was worried that you'd poke me in the eye by accident." Naomi blinked her left eye a few times and her hand moved to scratch it before she stopped herself and forced it down. "I was worried about that to! Really, why did you need me to do it today?" He sighs as he puts the bottle back on her desk. Naomi remains sitting on the desk trying her best not to scratch the eye while blinking a couple more times. "I already told you! I cut my fingers while preparing today's lunch this morning, so I can't hold the bottle very well." Naomi pouts and turns away from Satoshi. "It's because you got so nervous that it made everything weird!" Band aids are wrapped around the fingers of her right hand. "Haaa? It's my fault?" Satoshi puts his hands on his hips, blushing lightly. "That's right! It is your fault! Really, because of you even I got really nervous for some reason." Naomi continues pouting before grabbing a pillow and hugging it. This was partially to get rid of some of her embarrassment. Partially to occupy her hands which still want to scratch her eye. "It's my fault?" Satoshi turns to Yuka. Her hands are behind her back and she looks to the side. Her face is still a little red. The embarrassment was a mix of her jumping to conclusion, and the residual jeal- righteous rage she had felt. "I agree with Naomi Onee-chan. Oni-chan's the one who started saying weird things!" At the combined attack of Naomi and Yuka Satoshi slumps forward slightly "I-is it really my fault...?" His voice is more resigned than questioning. With his eyes on the floor he didn't get to see the slight smirk that the two girls shared at his depression. "Oh, right." Recovering slightly he turns to his little sister. "Yuka, did you have something to tell us?" "Oh! That's right! Naomi Onee-chan's mother brought home some lemon tarts on the way home from work today." Beaming up at the two Yuka continues. "She said let's eat them together as a snack!" "Oh! That sounds good." He smiles. "Go tell her we'll be down in a bit." "Okay!" Yuka runs off before immediately running back. "Don't take too long or you'll make even Naomi Onee-chan's mother misunderstand, alright?" "None of your business!" Satoshi pouts and Yuka giggles before running off downstairs. She'd spend the time waiting for them by watching Naomi's mother unpack the sweets with sparkling eyes. "So, Naomi, you had something to say to me?" "Eh?" "It's not like you to injure yourself while cooking." Naomi isn't an amateur cook. Cutting herself slightly might be possible but the number of bandages clearly suggested something bigger than that. "If you're going to lie about that you should have said you burnt your hand or something like that." Naomi flinches slightly at Satoshi's logic before letting out a breath and staring at the wall opposite her instead of him. "I just wanted to know, what's between you and Aiko-san..." "Huh?" His head tilts a little bit at her question. "When she came over to give me this week's medicine, you two seemed to be having quite an enjoyable talk?" Niwa Aiko comes to visit these two at least once a week. The reason she gives is to hand over Nakashima Naomi's prescription of spiritual water eye drops. The spiritual burns fried into her left eye by Sachi have disappeared but the cut sclera was still healing. "Oh, that." Sighing tiredly he shakes his head. "Enjoyable? Did it look like that to you?" "Eh? It wasn't?" Naomi blinks in surprise and turns towards him. "The complete opposite." Sighing he put an arm on his hip again. "It was almost felt like she was complaining to me." "And? What was it about?" She leans forward on the bed slightly. "Something about 'checking up on the one mistake her genius older sister ever made in her life'." Shrugging to indicate he didn't get what she meant he sighed again. "Huh? What's that about?" An eye brow is raised on her face. "Don't ask me." He replied. "Anyways it wasn't that big of a deal." Naomi lets out a relieved breath. "Oh, so that's all it was." "Well she also said she'd want to borrow our hot-spring sometime pretty soon." "Huh?!" Her head snaps back to look at him. Satoshi sighs again remembering the original hassle the teacher who had replaced Shishido Yui had brought. "The 'Mochida Hot-spring'. You know, the one Kuon-sensei built at my house. She said she wants to use it tonight or tomorrow." "Eeeeeeehhhhh?!" "I was surprised too, it was pretty sudden. She did look kind of tired today though." "I... see..." Naomi turns away from him. The pillow is once again in her hands again, but she probably wanted to be squeezing something else in between them right now. Probably with a couple of noogies mixed in as well. "D-do you want to come too, Naomi?" "Eh?" The pillow's punishment stops. "Well, it's a bit of a waste at the moment since we're not using it that much. Also Aiko-san would probably like some company as well." He turns away with a slight blush. Naomi looks at him before stifling a chuckle. "Why not, I can't have you visiting my place all the time without returning the favor." "Haha, I guess you're right." "ONI-CHAN HURRY UP!" Yuka's voice calls from downstairs. "Ah, Sorry, Yuka! We're going right now!" Walking towards the door he turns back to the person on the bed. "Let's go Naomi." "Yeah!" The door closes behind the two as they jog down the hallway. The brightly lit dining table downstairs has four plates each with a tasty lemon tart placed on it. Naomi's mother and Yuka are already seated. Yuka already has a fork in one hand and is barely containing the drool from her mouth. Satoshi pauses at the foot of the stairs letting Naomi run past him. This is the peaceful life that they've managed to reclaim. Smiling lightly he takes a seat across from Yuka and next to Naomi. "Itadakima-su!" |
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Check out my fanfic Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aftermath. I can also translate from Japanese to English. Open to requests. | |
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3:41 AM Jul 11