Post #1826893 in Our Second Selves, a roleplay on RPG

She awoke with a terrible jolt, entire body tensing up as she could barely manage a rather startled intake of air. Deep-red eyes wide open; Kiku Kurosawa perplexedly stared ahead at her half-open closet door, her heart fluttering away frantically in her chest. From time to time, a notable shudder travelled through her form as she herself seemed to be absent, consciousness missing. A glint of fear seemed to run through those eyes of hers, along with something resembling mourning. Without seeming to notice, she blinked, a tear running down the side of her face, soaking into her bedspread. Reality seemed to flitter in and out, everything so far away, so not existent. . . .

It felt like her soul had come loose, as if it had managed to slip out of its mortal flesh while she was asleep, and wandered around all of creation. Her whole self felt heavy, just really . . . really heavy. Even though she was safe in her own room, it looked as if she didn’t recognize where she was. The fact that her consciousness didn’t even seem to be a certain thing at the moment only made it all the worse, the sensation of not knowing where she was. In and out, in and out; it just didn’t seem to want to stay.

Her mind in a daze, Kiku did the very best she could to try to get a grasp upon some semblance of composure, of something that could make sense of her current situation. A cough coming from her lungs, the brunette found herself groaning a bit as things began to clear up in her head somewhat. That fear remained in her bones though, along with an aching sort of feeling that ate away at her knobby joints and made her dread even trying to move. That’s right . . . I’m sick. . . . she remembered, sighing quietly. As sleep had been a less than peaceful event for her, Kiku had more or less been unable to have much mental clarity upon waking up.

Truly, slumber had been a violent thing, her dreams nothing more than terrible nightmares. Yesterday . . . what happened yesterday? Kiku groaned, forcing herself up into a sitting position, body protesting with every little bit of movement she made. I . . . don’t remember much of yesterday, or last night. Placing her head into her hand, she tried to remember the happenings of the previous day, a dull throbbing beginning in her cranium. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember yesterday, all she seemed to be able to recall were the sorrowful events of her ‘dream.’

The tiny woman couldn’t even remember how it was she had gone and gotten herself sick . . . everything was just, gone. The hell was that about? Why was it that the last of her most coherent memories were of the night before the last, when she had gone to bed swearing she would figure out the weirdness regarding her new neighbors and the fact one seemed so blasted familiar to her? I can only remember a little bit of yesterday, going over to talk to the weirdo-Otaku, only to be attacked by her damn ninja cat, then . . . everything’s a blank. Kiku huffed at this, coughing from the suddenness of the exhale, Did that stupid feline make me have a head injury or something? Is that why I can’t figure out anything else about yesterday, or why the hell it is I’m sick?

“Ugh, even when you aren’t around Sterling, you still manage to make your freakiness rub off on me!” The tsundere groaned, letting herself tip forward into her mattress, mentally cursing the otaku’s existence for a few moments, Kiku simply lay there with her face flat into her bed. It had to be her fault again; everything weird that happened to Kiku was always her fault! That damn pink hair of hers is a magnet for the odd! Turning her face to the side so she could breathe, a rather sour look had overtaken the ahoge-bearing woman’s pallor features. She still looked ill. . . . Skin ashen, cheeks flushed with fever; she was not looking very good, and the fact that she couldn’t remember yesterday was just making her feel all the worse in the way of pissing her little self off.

Sure, the heavens let her remember her tear inducing dream with starling clarity, but they go and wipe her memories of the previous day . . . brilliant! Just brilliant. . . .

What was with that weird dream of hers anyway? It seemed more like the plot of some tragic, overly mushy love story than something suitable for a dream. It was simply defined enough, Kiku had been made to see the whole story through the eyes of a woman named Mao, and Mao was in love with someone she knew from her childhood . . . but her family went into a terrible debt because her father had gambling problems. So, in order to stave off the debt collectors, Mao’s mother and father had sold her to a brothel where she would work off their debts in the way so common for girls her age in similar situations. . . . However, as Mao was being forced away by those she was sold to, the boy she loved with her whole heart came to find out about what was happening.

To try and spare her the Fate placed upon her, he attempted to fight her buyers off, only to be stabbed through the stomach, and left for dead. Mao seeing everything, screaming in desperation, heart breaking to pieces. Writhing, and struggling against her captors, Mao tried to fight her way back to her love’s side, but to no avail. She was far too small and too weak to out power them, and she wound up being forced to the brothel. Upon being deposited there, left in a room with things used to make the women physically attractive and appealing, Mao had forced her fist through a nearby vanity mirror . . . and ended her life shortly after.

It was a tragedy, but to Kiku, it seemed more annoying than anything else, because that was all she could remember at the moment. It seemed like the memory of that dream replaced all recollection she might have had after being attacked by Sterling’s ninja cat. Did her brain have some maximum capacity limit on how many memories she could store or something. . . ? To this notion, Kiku just groaned loudly and huffed. Really, it wasn’t fair for someone of her caliber to be forced through such weirdness. She deserved a more normal life, with normal people living around her . . . not some pink-haired otaku freak and two new guys who spoke of things and acted like they’ve lived more than one life.

As if, she rolled her eyes at the very thought, People only live once, and unlike what the Hell that purple-haired idiot said the other night, no one has a second personality. Kiku thought back to her little confrontation with the one known as Ryu, and the fact that he sent a jolt of familiarity through her. “Ugh, I shouldn’t even just feel like I know someone so damn stupid. . . .” she sneered in disgust. Really, she shouldn’t have even felt like that . . . it just wasn’t right of her to given her family background. Besides, why was it she felt like she knew a man of all people when she didn’t associate with any of them due to her promise ten years ago?

Nearly hissing at herself, Kiku forced her sickly body up and to her feet, ignoring the fact that she felt dizzy as hell and attempted to force herself to go about her usual morning routine. So what if she were sick? She had things to do, things that were more important than a case of the sniffles. . . . Teetering toward her bathroom, Kiku managed to keep herself upright for part of the trek there . . . only to tip over from the lightheadedness plaguing her body, as she fell, the brunette let out a shrill cry, reaching out for something to stop her plummet, only winding up knocking a picture off her wall . . . the thing shattering when it hit the floor.

☼☼☼☼☼

Evande sighed to herself quietly, pushing up on her glasses . . . okay, so that wasn’t the best way to break that particular bit of news to her alter, knowing about his rather scandalous life with Ryu. But, well, he sort of ticked her off with suddenly acting not as himself. Boneheaded move once more Evande, seems like your prided maturity is just going right down the drain lately. . . . she chided herself, recalling the fact she had chewed Kurosawa out in a fit of annoyance the day before, losing her cool then too. I so need to remember I’m suppose to be an adult. What was wrong with her these last days . . . even if Nikolas had sort of turned her whole life upside down, that didn’t mean she should go and suddenly act the complete opposite of her real self. What happened to how she had acted last night. . . ?

The otaku looked off to the side, maintaining a lax expression upon her face as she felt regret at how she had just acted, knowing she should not have indulged herself as she had and that she should have simply brushed Nikolas’ weird behavior off without a proper reaction. She should have treated it as normal and acted like nothing out of the normal was going on. The fact that he was getting no rise out of her, no questioning looks or freak-outs . . . that would probably have been enough to make him knock it off. Maybe then, she could have broken the truth about recovering memories of his lives as well in a manner more appropriate. Geez, when did I turn out to be such an idiot. . . ?

It was the fact that Nikolas suddenly rose up to his feet that caught her attention . . . as well as the fact that a rather unpleasant sentiment prickled up her spine. It felt familiar. Maintaining a calm expression however, as to not alert anyone of the feeling boiling in her blood now, Evande turned her head over and looked at her alter. He was smiling in a manner that was rather alarming, giving off a malicious aura, even giggling in a creepy manner that did not seem to at all fit him. Perhaps Evande did not know her alter well, but she knew and felt enough to recognize that this was not desired behavior. What she felt . . . was it a bit of fear? Was she actually a little frightened of Nikolas?

She sort of half glared at him when he finally spoke, his voice tilting upon what seemed to be some impression of a sinister edge, ”Ah, life is unfair,” There was a sharp glint in his eyes, something dangerous that almost seemed . . . merciless to Evande’s senses. This made the black-haired woman tense up slightly, but not enough to be notable to anyone but herself. ”If it’s not, you’re not playing the game right. . .” A creepy sort of laugh surfaced from the blonde’s lungs at that. This sent an unnatural chill through her bones; her skin went gooseflesh as she found herself feeling rather uncomfortable now.

Normally, Evande would have just up and runaway without delay . . . but, this was her fault. Even if Nikolas were frightening her a little bit at the moment, she didn’t budge from where she stood. She had caused this, and up and leaving would be wrong after acting like such an idiot. Besides, it wasn’t like running away was so simple for her anymore. Because of the choices she had made, she had connected herself to both Nikolas and Ryu the previous day . . . if she had just chosen to disregard the two of them in the first place, then she wouldn’t be where she was now. She could have chosen to do that, to ignore the two boys completely, and gone on with her normal lifestyle. But, she hadn’t done that, had she? She’d stayed, and chosen to pursue something she didn’t understand, something that very well upturned her whole life. There was no backing out of this. Even if Nikolas was making her feel uncomfortable, and a bit frightened, it wasn’t as simple as running away and leaving it all behind her. He lived across the hall from her, and she couldn’t just . . . abandon the last few days.

Even in her discontented state, Evande didn’t miss when Nikolas up and suddenly clutched onto his stomach, grimacing, looking slightly alarmed and shocked. He turned around before speaking again, his voice actually sounding somewhat normal for himself again, albeit it was laced with anxiety, ”Evande, I think you should go.” The woman didn’t move though, even with his ‘suggestion.’ Nikolas ducked into the bathroom rather quickly, leaving herself and Ryu in the room alone. Remaining silent and still, Evande stood as she had been before, letting reality sort of soak into her brain fully.
I am naught but an idiot. she sighed to herself, pushing up on her glasses. Evande needed to be more careful, she really did, and she knew that. I . . . wasn’t lying to anyone when I said I didn’t want to go back to living on my own last night, because I’m scared to do that. But, look what at I’ve gone and done.

Exhaling sharply, the otaku shook her head, “Why am I so stupid. . . ?” she asked out loud, not really looking for an answer. She needed to apologize for how she had acted, really, she did. Just because she had gone and made a mistake about her hair dye, it gave her no right to go and act so terribly toward anyone, even if they were acting out of character themselves, trying to annoy or embarrass her. Dully, her brown eyes looked down at Ryu, who was lying on the floor in a heap, and noticed that the multi-colored haired boy was very much awake, and sort of looking at her. Planting the palm of her hand to her face, she sighed, “Don’t answer that Ryu . . . I know I just acted like an ass, I don’t need someone’s reaffirmation regarding it.”

Removing her hand from her forehead, Evande looked away from Ryu, and started for the doorway. “I’ll be back in a minute,” Evande informed him, going back to her own abode for a moment. She really owed Nikolas an apology, and given the conditions she found both her alter and Ryu in, it was easy to deduce that neither of them had eaten breakfast yet. . . . Just so happened that breakfast food was the one area in cooking where she excelled. But first, she thought, I think it would be best to do something about their lack-of-blanket situation. Not saying anything aloud, Evande went back into her room and got into her closet, digging out two spare fleece throws she kept around for whenever it got really cold outside. She wasn’t using them right now, and considering the fact that it seemed like there wasn’t any heat in her alter’s apartment, the throws would be put to better use there than in her closet.

After pulling them out, and sliding her closet door shut with the side of her hips, the otaku made her way back to the kitchen area of her apartment, and began to ransack her fridge and cupboard, going through a mental checklist of the things she’d need in order to cook what it was she had in mind. Adjusting the fleece throws so they were being held by one arm, Evande went ahead and pulled everything she needed from her kitchen into her other arm, and by some miracle managed to actually hold onto all of it while turning and heading for her door. Upon actually getting to it though, she realized she had a little dilemma in the way of actually getting said thing open. “Okay, so how am I going to pull this one off. . . ?” the otaku asked herself, looking at her full arms then down to her bare feet, “. . . .guess I’m doing this the hard way.”

Balancing herself as best she could, Evande swung one of her legs up and hit the handle of her front door with the bottom of her foot, managing to get it to open before narrowly slipping out of the door after getting it to swing open just enough. After hearing the door latch behind her, Evande went ahead to go back inside Nikolas an Ryu’s apartment when she heard a loud meow come from her feet. Questioningly, she looked down, only to see Kiseki there, looking up at her with his bright green eyes. Evande laughed at this, “You little sneak, you got out when I opened the door.” To this accusation, the cat merely mewled in response, as if proud.

The black-haired woman laughed a bit with a smile, “You’re going to make mommy worried one of these days, but this time, she’ll let you tag along since she’s going to go ahead to try and make amends for acting like an ass and upsetting someone important to her.” Unaware that she could probably be heard while talking to Kiseki, Evande went ahead and just cooed that out to her black and white ninja kitty before starting off again, Kiseki going right ahead of her and into the apartment.

Entering the apartment again, Evande felt her face redden with shame as she quickly deposited the things she needed to cook on the empty countertop, and went ahead and headed over to the couch, dropping the fleece throws onto it without actually looking to see if Nikolas had come back out of the bathroom yet. Still, she quietly spoke in a rush about them, “Those are spare blankets of mine, I’m going to let you borrow them since you don’t seem to have any heat yet.” Before heading back to the kitchen to get started on the pancakes and cinnamon syrup she knew how to make.

She’d gotten used enough to doing this, so cooking said things was rather easy for her . . . digging a frying pan out of the cupboards and some other utensils, Evande got to work without making noise, moving almost like a machine while she cooked. It only took her about ten minutes in total, given the fact that she had the burner cranked up higher than necessary, yet somehow she had managed to prevent the food from turning into charcoal, and didn’t burn the cinnamon syrup she made.

Hopefully, making food would be enough of a way to begin apologizing for her terrible behavior earlier. . . .

Snippet #1826893

located in Japan, a part of Our Second Selves, one of the many universes on RPG.

Setting

Characters Present

Footnotes