Yukiko Ishishima's Story

"Alright Miss.. Yukiko? Did I say that right?" Patricia smiled at the woman, glancing up with her beautiful grey eyes from the clipboard. She finished off scribbling down notes. "Alright, we've got everything here.. Just one more thing, you can forget your past life if you want, but this can have very bad consequenses. Might want to leave yourself a note." Skipping joyfully over to the woman, she handed her a pen and the clipboard. On the paper was a sketch of the person she wanted to be with the name 'Yukiko Ishishima' scrawled along the top. There were also a few notes along the side and a small box at the bottom with the question 'Forget?' beside it.

"If there's anything I missed, add it in then give that back and just step into the machine! It's delightfully simple!" She put her arm around the woman and squeesed her shoulder re-assuringly.

Airi smiles at the woman her hands shaking holding the clipboard. Airi takes a deep breath. "No more Airi, now I'll be Yukiko Ishishima." she whispers. Airi draws the picture of the girl she wants to be. She erases many times finally nodding happily. "Thirteen years old. Long Hair. Pretty and cute." she reads the notes in the box, "Forget? I don't want to forget anything. I'll have everything." she laughs. "I'll remember everything and be young." she laughs at the thought. "Can dance." she mumbles as she writes. She stops before she gives the woman the clipboard and quickly scribbles her address. She can read it, but it's not really readable to others. "I'm ready." she says handing the clipboard and stepping into the machine.

Her heart beating faster and faster, she waits for the woman to turn on the machine. She still doesn't really believe the old woman can do it. If she can't she only wasted a day, is out some money and will feel a little silly. But, if it works, she'll be young again.

Everything seems to be like a dream, the lights, the sounds, she feels dizzy. Then everything becomes blurry and she goes blank. When she wakes up she falls to the floor of the booth. She kneels on the floor for several seconds thinking. "Why am I here? Who am I?" she wonders. She's naked except for stockings that are too big for her, she's kneeling are some over-sized woman's clothes. "I'm... I'm Yukiko Ishishima." she mumbles. She's sure of her name, but not much else.
"Hello?" she yells getting up. "Hello?! Is anybody..." she stops when she gets a good look at the room with all it's knobs, wires and gadgets. "What is this place?" she gasps. "Where am I?" She stops scanning the room when she sees the old woman. "Hello." she says nervously. "Do I... Do I know you? Are you my grandmother?"

Patricia raised her eyebrow, smiling curiously. She then turned her attention to her computer, ensuring she made sure Airi didn't forget anything. Her eyes drifted over to Yukiko and the drawing Airi had given. She opened a drawer in the desk and took out some bandages, then making her way hastily over to the girl. "Yukiko..? Oh dear.. I'm Patricia Pheonix and you're in the Pheonix Company." Patricia wrapped a bandage around her right wrist. "Don't worry about this bandage, just don't take it off, alright?" She skipped back and picked up the red school bag Miss Airi had brung with and handed it to her. "I think there are some clothes in here for you. Do you remember anything at all?"

Yukiko stands watching the woman, a blank stare on her face watching what the woman is doing, trying to figure out what's happening. "Maybe she's a scientist or a doctor." she thinks to herself and I'm in a hospital. "Yukiko..? Oh dear.. I'm Patricia Pheonix and you're in the Pheonix Company." the woman says grabbing hold of her arm and wrapping it. Yukiko doesn't fight the woman or try to pull away, she just stands, holds out her hand and watches the the woman wrap her wrist. She nods at the woman's instructions not to take off the bandage, the blank, confused stare frozen on her face.

"I think there are some clothes in here for you. Do you remember anything at all?"
She takes the big red bag from Ms. Pheonix and opens it. Yukiko stands naked, looking through the bag thinking. She scrunches her face looking down as she thinks hard trying to remember anything, but nothing comes to her. She raises her head and stares again at the woman, finally, "No. I don't remember anything. Am I okay? Is this a hospital? Was I in an accident?"

She is confused and she's beginning to feel frightened. She pulls out the school uniform that from the bag, as she does a card drops from the neatly folded clothes onto the ground. Yukiko crouches down, picks it up off the floor and stares at it. "Shoko Chukin Bank." she says reading aloud, "Yukiko Ishishima. That's me." she says rising from the floor. "I have a cash card?" she feels even more confused than before. Forgetting everything else she begins pulling everything from the bag to see what else is there. She yanks the jeans out and shakes them to see if anything falls out. Then the shirt and knee length socks from the bag. She pulls out a rolled up shirt from the bag and shakes it open. When she does the money flies out of the shirt and scatters on the floor. "There's money in my bag." She says looking at the money and then up at Ms. Pheonix. "I have money in my bag." She looks at it, not moving from her spot, trying to count it. But it's a lot, there's too much there. She is now even more confused.
"Why do I have so much money?" She feels heart beating faster, she's breathing harder and small tears in her eyes, "What? Why do...?" she grabs the uniform and quickly puts it on, stuffing the other clothes back in the bag. "Do you know what happened to me? I'm... I'm so... What happened?" she says, a few tears running down her face. She runs over to the woman, "Is that money mine? Am I okay? Why don't I remember anything?"

Knowing how to deal with the situation, Patricia looked down at Yukiko and smiled reassuringly. "Oh come on now, Miss Yukiko, don't cry!" She knelt down to her level, pulling her into a hug. "I'll explain everything in a moment, first I think you need a cup of tea." She stood up and put her arm around Yukiko, picking up the clipboard and bringing her out of the room back to the reception. Then she took Yukiko to another door which led to room with a large 3 seater couch, a T.V and a kitchen in the back. She led Yukiko to the couch and gestured for her to sit down.

After she had made them both tea, she sat down beside Yukiko and smiled, showing her the clipboard. "This is you. You weren't.. you. Just hear me out here. Now, your name before was Airi. Airi basically designed you and that machine in there changes people's lives, changes who they were. Do you understand so far?"

"Oh come on now, Miss Yukiko, don't cry!" Ms. Pheonix says hugging her. "I'll explain everything in a moment, first I think you need a cup of tea." Yukiko walks with the woman trying to understand what is happening. "How can I be some one else?" she wonders. "And why did I change? And why didn't I want to remember?" the last question is the one that bothers he the most. She wonders what it was about her life that she wanted to forget. Had she been a murderer? Had she done something so bad that no one would ever forgive her?

Ms. Pheonix leads her into a room with a large couch, a TV and a kitchen. Yukiko sits and takes the tea. "This is you. You weren't.. you. Just hear me out here. Now, your name before was Airi. Airi basically designed you and that machine in there changes people's lives, changes who they were. Do you understand so far?" Yukiko sits examining the clipboard, sipping her tea. She understands, sort of, but not really. She doesn't understand how a person can be made a different, how a fifty year old woman can change into a thirteen year old girl and why would she do it. Why be thirteen? It's not a great age and it's an age where you aren't independent, you need a mother and a father to care for you, you have to go to school.

Yukiko looks up at the woman and nods, "I think so." she says not really sure. "I... I guess... I guess I don't understand why? Was she, was I... was she a bad person? Was she a criminal? Do you know why she wanted to change?"

"I don't remember Miss Airi ever telling me, but I think I could have a good guess." She thought for a moment. "Well, we have to do background security checks on everyone who comes, so she isn't a criminal. She had everything set up for you so she'd definitely had time to give this some thought." She looked over at the red bag. "A sweet old dear with a lot of money and time. Maybe she though it'd be fun. It is fun, isn't it? All the flashy lights and complicated stuff! Oh it makes me happy!" She shot a smile at Yukiko, then looked around.

"Well, can you tell what this here says?" She pointed to the scribbled in address. "Miss Airi wrote it just before but I can't read it. I hope I didn't do something wrong..."

Yukiko is relieved when she hears that Airi was not a criminal. The thought that a criminal might be in her trying to get her to do bad things would be difficult to take.
"A sweet old dear with a lot of money and time. Maybe she though it'd be fun. It is fun, isn't it? All the flashy lights and complicated stuff! Oh it makes me happy!"
Yukiko smiles, trying to not show how really upset she is, "Yeah. Yeah I guess it would be fun." she says softly.
"Well, can you tell what this here says?" Ms Pheonix says pointing to some really bad writing on the paper. "Miss Airi wrote it just before but I can't read it. I hope I didn't do something wrong..."

Yukiko stares hard at the writing. It is written really sloppy but she can make out some of the words, "It's...it's the Akita Prefecture." she says pointing to the first symbols. Yukiko looks long and hard at the lettering, leaning closer to the writing trying to figure out what the rest of it says. "Wait, wait." she says excitedly, "Misato Town! It says Misato Town. This is great!" she says hugging Ms Pheonix, "This is really great."
Yukiko releases and leans back in the couch. "I don't know what the rest of it says, but Misato is a really small town." Tears start to appear in her eyes, "I'm guessing this uniform is probably really unusual. Teal is an unusual color. If she went to all this work, I'm guessing she also enrolled me in school. I just need to find the school that matches this uniform."
Yukiko throws her arms around Ms Pheonix giving her a big hug, "Oh, thank you, thank you! This is so exciting! I know where to go now." Yukiko pulls away, realizing she's hugging the woman tightly and may be hurting her. "Sorry, Ms Pheonix. It's just so... I'm so happy. Thank you." Yukiko remembers the money that got thrown on the floor, "Do I... did she... Ummm... How much money do I owe you?"

"Wait, wait. Misato Town! It says Misato Town. This is great! This is really great." Taken by suprise by the hug, Patricia laughed. "Okay, Miss Yukiko. Now you know where to go."

"I don't know what the rest of it says, but Misato is a really small town." Patricia grinned, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "No crying allowed, Yukiko. You have to be happy. Jump up and down like a butterfly happy." She continued to listen to Yukiko go on about the unusual uniform and the school. Then she was taken by suprise again, with another hug. She was also being some-what suffocated this time. She coughed, pressing her hand flat against her own chest. "Well," She coughed again. "You don't owe me anything, Miss Airi paid in the reception."

"You don't owe me anything, Miss Airi paid in the reception." Ms Pheonix tells her.
The smile on Yukiko's face gets even bigger, "Really?" she squeals happily. Yukiko hugs her one more time and gives her a kiss on her cheek. Then she gets up, bows, "Thank you, Ms. Pheonix. I'll never forget you." She races toward the other room and stops at the door holding up the arm with the bandage, "And I promise I'll never take it off unless you tell me to. Okay? Bye bye. I love you."

Yukiko grabs the bag, stuffs the clothes inside it, then picks up all the money and puts it in her jacket pocket and the bag. She looks around making sure she didn't leave anything and she races out the door of the shop to find Misato Town.
On the street, she looks around at the sights and listens. She's very excited, so excited she's forgotten about being sad. She watches the cars, the buses, the people all around her. "Amazing!" she whispers. She races to the bus stop and gets on the bus for the train station. The bus is crowded, but there are some seats. Yukiko takes a single seat near the front and sits holding her bag.
After some stops she hears a voice from above her. "Ypu must stand up and leave that seat little girl."
Yukiko looks up and a man about 45 is standing above her, looking down at hear, his face looks angry. Yukiko blushes when she looks and sees the bus is full and there is an old woman standing near her. "I'm sorry." she says leaping up and bowing to both of them. "I was... I was... I am sorry." Yukiko is so embarrassed she moves as far back as she can, she lowers her head so her hair covers her face to hide from both of them. "I have to be more observant." she mutters to herself.

After a few more stops, she arrives at the train station. She races to the ticket counter and buys a ticket for Misato and pays. She got lucky, it's the last train for Misato today. On the train she finds her seat and sits. She takes a few breaths and thinks about everything that has happened today.
"You're a pretty girl." a man says looking at her smiling.
"My dad's a policeman." she says dropping her head hoping he understands.

She waits for a few seconds and looks up, the man is gone. She lets out a big sigh, "Thank God." She doesn't remember anything about her past life, but she does remember men like that who try and meet up with middle school and high school girls. They're not dangerous, he won't try and kill her and he won't come back.
The train schedule says it;'s three hours twenty minutes to Misato. Yukiko lays back in the seat and falls asleep.

Yukiko is asleep when someone nudges her, "Young lady. Young lady." Yukiko looks up and it's a conductor, "Misato City station." he says holding a small computer seat controller.
"Oh, thank you." Yukiko says getting up, bowing and getting her stuff. "I'd have missed my stop." she says smiling. "Thank you." she says as he escorts her from the train.
When she gets off the train it's early morning about 7 am. She isn't sure where she lives or what day it is. "I should find my school first and see if they know where I live." she says to herself. She doesn't know what school she belongs to, but after walking for about ten minutes she sees a couple of girls standing at the bus stop who are wearing the same color uniform as her. She doesn't say anything she just stands behind them.
The girls look back at her and then whisper to each other. Yukiko blushes not sure whether to talk to them or just stand silently. Finally one of the girls talks to her, "Do you go to Wakayama Girls Middle School?"
She isn't sure if she does or doesn't. She decides to be honest, "I don't know. My aunt enrolled me and she was gone when I got here. You have the same uniform. So I'm following you." She blushes because she knows she sounds stupid.
"Your aunt sounds strange." the other girl says. She blushes, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"It's okay." Yukiko smiles. "She is a little."
The three girls laugh.
"Well, Wakayama Girls Middle School is the only school with these uniforms, so welcome to our school." the first girl says smiling, "I'm Hanako and this is Yukari." Yukiko bows. "What grade are you in?"
"First grade?" she says bowing back. She isn't sure, but she hopes she's right.
"So are we." both girls squeal. "Maybe we'll be in the same class. Do you know which class you're in?" the second one asks.
Yukiko shakes her head.
"That's okay. We'll ask when we get there. We'll show you everything."
The girls wait for the bus talking about the school, the teachers, the town. She avoids any talk about where she lives because she doesn't know.

Yukiko talks with the girls on the bus. It's difficult because they want to know a lot about her. She avoids many of their questions by asking them about school, the other girls, them, anything she can think of. The only questions she answers are favorite things like color, animal, story and that her parents passed away and that's why she's living with her aunt. She wishes she knew more about her, but she doesn't and until she gets to her apartment or house she's going to say very little.

Finally they get to school and the girls lead her to the teacher's room. There are many desks in the room and many men and women sitting at them typing on their computers. At the far end of the room are two big desks facing the whole room. Each desk has a plaque on it that says 'Vice-Principal' on it and has their names. Behind one desk is a tall woman with short hair. She is talking on her mobile. At the other desk is a man with slightly grey hair, he is talking to a teacher. All three girls bow and say 'good morning' to the room. Yukari hooks Yukiko's arm and pulls her toward the woman vice-principal.

They both bow to the woman, "Vice-principal. This is Yukiko Ishishima. She is new to our school and doesn't know what class she's in." Yukiko blushes because she doesn't know much of anything. She bows again, nodding and smiling.
"Welcome." the woman says smiling brightly. "Your aunt registered you. Very nice woman. Sorry to hear about your parents accident." the woman says holding Yukiko's hand, "It must be very hard on you." Yukiko nods, but inside she's happy, that lie was what the woman told the school too.

"My aunt didn't meet me at the train station. This may sound stupid, but I don't remember her address."
A few of the teachers sitting near the desk laugh. The vice-principal gives them very angry look and they stop. "I understand. The horrible accident I'm sure is keeping you from thinking proper." she opens Yukiko's folder and writes the address down on a piece of paper. "Here you go. You're in class number two with Yukari. You two seem to be good friends already. Maybe I'll tell your teacher you should be her special friend until you get used to our school. Okay?" As the leave the room she hears the vice-principal say, "An island girl. This won't be easy."

Yukiko followed her friends to class.
"This is great!" Yukari says very excited, "i'll help you learn everything about our school."
Hanako holds her hand, "You'll like our school. Except for math. The teacher is boring." she says making ugly faces.
Two teachers walk by and the girls bow, "That's our science teacher and our morals teacher." Hanako says whispering. "They're both good teachers, bur sometimes they're really mean."
"What did the vice-principal mean about an island girl?" Yukiko asks nervous and worried.
"She means people think you're weird." Hanako says without thinking. She giggles, "Sorry. Some island people are weird. You're kind of backward in the way you live. Not you, Yukiko. You don't seem backward. Just some island people are. You're fine. Everyone will like you. Well, maybe not the boys. But who cares?" Hanako says pulling the gitl into the classroom.
The girls get to class and bow to their teacher, "That's Ms Abe."

The girls greet their teacher and she introduces herself to Yukiko. Yukiko tells her teacher she about her aunt, her parents, a family friend Ms. Pheonix and that she's a doctor and shows her teacher her arm, "Dr. Pheonix says I can't take off the bandage." Her teacher nods, smiles and has her sit between Hanako and Yukari.

"Has anyone seen Yoshiko?" the teacher asks

SIDE AFFECT OF PHEONIX TREATMENT: BODY SWITCH (Yoshiko = Yukiko Yukiko = Yoshiko)

((ooc: I like the body switch. But she's at school in morning and I' still night. So I'm going to write for day and then switch)

Yoshiko took the lolipop but didn't eat it. She was too sad. She drove home with Father he said nothing, but he looked at her odd sometimes.
She went to bed and the next day got up. She showered, got dressed for school and was surprised Mother wasn't home. Father was up, but he looked like he hadn't slept all night. When she tried to talk to him all he said was to get her books and he'd drive her to school. Yoshiko grabbed the lolipop from her dresser when she got her books. She ate the lolipop in the car because she was very nervous.
She was late for school and she ran upstairs to class. "Teacher will be so angry." she knew. She ran in the door

"Has anyone seen Yoshiko?" her teacher asks.

"Right here." the girl sitting in Yukiko's desk answered. "Sorry, I'm..." Yoshiko/Yukiko stopped, her eyes big, her face turned red, then pale. "I'm... I'm..." Yoshiko was confused. She looked around at everyone in the classroom. They were all staring at the confused, embarrassed girl. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't..."

Her teacher gave her an angry stare as the girls in her class laughed, "Do you think you're funny?" the woman snapped.
"No, Teacher." she said sliding down in her desk.
"You island girls. Maybe you need your hearing checked." Yoshiko nodded. Her teacher made her kneel in the corner by the window with her hands in the air for the rest of homeroom. She stared at the girl who was her the whole time

((OOC: this is very funny Boo. I like it.))

"Right here." a girl calls out from her seat. Yukiko looks over at the girl sitting in her seat. It's her body, but it's not her. "She isn't sure what to say or do. Yukiko, or is it Yoshiko? She's not sure. She stands nervous trying to think about what to say or do. The girl who is her, or llooks like her is sent to the window to kneel with her hands in the air for being stupid. Yukiko wants to sneak away hoping teacher didn't see her.
"Why are you late, Yoshiko?" her teacher asks.
"Uhhhh...I uh..." she didn't know why she was late. "I uhhhhh..." Yukiko stammered.
"To the window with the new girl." Teacher ordered.
Yukiko sighed, walked over to the window, set her bag down and kneel hands in the air for homeroom. She wanted to say something to the girl that was her, but didn't know what to say.

Yoshiko/Yukiko knelt by the window wondering what had happened. She stared at the girl who is her and wondered how she got to be her. She was so confused she cried a little. Some of her friends thought she was the new girl and made faces at her and laughed a little, especially the boys. She wanted to say something about them that would make them cry, but she knew she couldn't. They would know something was wrong.
Yoshiko/Yukiko tried to think of something to say to the girl who was her that was next to her. "What can I say?" she wondered. "She must be as confused as me. If I say something and people hear me they'll think I'm crazy." Yoshiko/Yukiko decided to stay quiet and not make her teacher angry.

Yukiko, now Yoshiko, kneels with her hands over her head. She is confused and wants to say something to the other girl, but she can't think of anything. She doesn't know her and she isn't sure what she could say that wouldn't sound stupid. She kneels and is happy fifteen minutes later when the bell rings and she can put down her arms.
Her teacher gives both of them angry looks. Yukiko, now Yoshiko, gets up and walks to the front of the class and bows, apologizes and the teacher leaves them alone in the room.
Yukiko stands next to the other girl who looks like her. "Ummmm. Can we talk in the hall? Please?"

Yoshiko nodded at the girl. She wanted to talk too. She didn't understand what had happened, but she didn't want to get in any more trouble with their teachers. She walked out in the hall with Yukiko who was now her. "Uhhh... Sorry." Is the only thing she could think to say. She felt stupid standing in the hall looking around at the other students, some staring and some smiling. She knew all of them, but she couldn't say anything because she wasn't Yoshiko any more.
"How did you get me?" she whispered to the other girl. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?" she stopped and thought about it. "I'm sorry. I know it isn't you. I'm just very upset."

"I don't know." Yukiko whispered back. She wanted to talk more about what happened but she was afraid someone might hear them. "Let's talk later. Maybe at break or lunch." She didn't know what she could tell her. She would have to think about what she could tell the girl. "Maybe I should tell her about the woman and how I'm not who I am or she is?" she thought. As stupid as it might sound, the girl might believe it.
She looked down at her wrist, "Oh God, you have one too?" She said a little louder. She looked around to see who was listening, but no one was looking. "You have the bandage too." she whispered to the girl. "We HAVE to talk."