A/N: This is a story I was thinking about recently! I know I shouldn't be writing another multi-chaptered fic when I still have two others to finish, but I couldn't help myself;;;;
I know I keep promising I'll update the others but again I'll do it soon!
The room was quiet, save for the endless pattering of fingers against computer keys. Nico Yazawa grunted in frustration, repetitively smashing the backspace button until it cried out in agony, the loud tapping drowned out in the darkness. The letters on the screen scurried away, running for their lives as the blinking bar consumed them. With the document blank once again, Nico spun around in her chair, crimson red eyes glancing around the room for inspiration.
Met with nothing but darkness, the writer released a heavy sigh, cleansing her lungs of air. Her bedroom was dimly illuminated by the dull light radiating from the computer, outlining the mess in a faded blue light. Curtains hung over the windows, blocking all light from entering the secluded room. Sunlight crowned its edges, seeping through the curtain's weak ends. "What time is it?" Nico muttered, squinting at the corner of the computer screen, which read 9:30AM in white text.
"All night, and not a single word." Defeat consuming her, Nico reluctantly clicked the red 'X', exiting the empty document. With a huff, she swung herself up, stretching her aching back. "Geez, you're not even that old yet. Get yourself together, Nico." How many times had she told herself that? At this point, Nico stopped counting. Why bother wasting your thoughts on something you will never do? She slumped out of her bedroom, inching into the light like a creature that had never seen day.
Sniffing the air, Nico's tired face contorted. "Is that me?" She mumbled distastefully, daring to take another whiff. The smell that met her nose was that of a rotten egg, an egg that had been pushed into a garbage bin full of body odor. If body odor was tangible, that is. She trudged to the bathroom, where she stood in the doorway for a good fee minutes. "I guess I have to." Nico sighed for the thirtieth time that morning as she closed he door behind her. It wasn't as if anyone were there to disrupt her; it felt more natural with the door closed. Letting her pajamas fall to the floor, she flipped on the cold water.
Nico didn't want to be depressed. If she had the choice, she'd get rid of it in a heartbeat. Although, that wasn't the case. Following the death of her mother, depression hit like an oncoming truck. That year, hope fluttered away from her on the wings of a butterfly, one that had flown so far out of reach, Nico could no longer catch it. She dropped out of college, and her dreams of becoming an international super idol shattered into a million pieces; too many to pick up again.
'It's no big deal.' She repeated to herself over and over during that time. 'Many people have lost their mothers, get over it.' Although it wasn't something she could just hop over like another stone in her path. To Nico, her family meant the world. She had barely gotten over her father's death, despite the many years that passed.
When the call came, Nico couldn't take it. Her mother had keeled over from over-exhaustion. It made sense; she did nothing but work to provide for her children. 'I shouldn't have gone to college.' Nico knew that it would greatly dent their already nonexistent funds, but alas, her mother insisted. She couldn't help but feel as if it were her fault. 'If I stayed, she wouldn't have had to work so hard.' It was something Nico came to regret every single day for years to come.
Cold water flooded over her, caressing her with its gentle flow. It trickled down the ends of her long, silky, ink black hair. Nico closed her eyes, allowing the water to engulf her very being as she lost herself in thought. It had become a common occurrence as of late; she would roam around aimlessly in the void of her mind while taking a bath, eating dinner, watching television, the list continued on. It wouldn't be until a few minutes later that Nico realized she zoned out.
The due date is already a few months away. Nico thought to herself in dismay, mindlessly reaching for the soap bar. I have nothing. Come on, dumb brain! Think of something, will you? Her hand shuffled around the soap for a while, unable to get a grip on the slipper bar. Clenching her hand around the soap, it slid off the side, right onto Nico's foot as if it were the target all along. With a yelp, her conscience was forced back into reality. "What the hell." She grumbled, carefully gripping the dangerous soap bar with both hands.
Swiftly cleansing her body of its horrid scent, Nico shut the water off and stepped out of the tub. Wrapping her hair in a towel, she shrugged on a bath robe. "God, it's hot today." She grumbled, her once cool body already heating up. The harsh sunlight smashed through the glass windows, creating bright patterns of light on the carpeted floor. Cicada shrills cut through the still, tranquil summer atmosphere.
Nico trudged into the kitchen, ignoring the pile of bowls and dishes that overfilled the poor sink. Many drawers remained open, their contents displayed for the world to see. Following her everyday route, she grabbed a clean bowl, carelessly pouring in the corn flakes. Filling the bowl about half way, she tossed the box of corn flakes back to its original place. Nico grunted as picked up the milk carton easily, it's minimal contents weakly splashing within. Mentally noting to get more milk, she poured the remaining liquid into the cereal bowl, smashing the empty carton into the trash.
Plopping down on the table, Nico pushed aside empty pizza boxes and beer bottles to make room for her bowl. She held the spoon with an iron grip, staring at the cereal in disgust. "Eh." Across the table stood a stack of hardcover books, flat on top one another, with a single copy atop the rest, it's cover facing towards her. The red and black book read 'The Scarlet Princess' in fancy gold letters. Under it stood a beautiful girl with gorgeous vermillion red hair and dreamy lavender eyes which reflected space itself. A smile tugged at Nico's lips as the gazed at the girl, paying no attention to her cereal, whose crunchy edges soon flopped weakly into the milk.
"Why couldn't you be real." She whispered, her grin curving into a frown at the words 'A novel by Nico Yazawa'. The novel that brought her success, the novel that put dinner on the table. Of course, none of that had been in the original plan. Shortly after her departure from college, Nico began to write. It seemed to be the only method of coping with her depression that actually worked. In the world of fiction, she let her imagination run rampant. She created a world where love and dreams could be fulfilled, a place she would give anything to escape to.
While writing the story, Nico fell in love with her main character. Maki Nishikino, the Scarlet Princess. Maki was perfect in every way; the only daughter of a wealthy family composed of doctors and nurses, her future was bright. She had everything. Looks, talent, money. Unconsciously, Nico created a character that had everything she didn't. In a way, Maki was everything she wanted to be. Pouring her thoughts and dreams into the character, Nico gave Maki a dream. A dream to become an idol, the number one idol in the universe.
Although at some point, it didn't work out. Maki was a complex character, one that Nico couldn't just throw her own dreams onto. She settled for a musical dream, one that she couldn't achieve either, with her parents influence heavily tied into the seams of Maki's future. When Nico wrote the girl playing the piano, she could almost hear the passionate notes resonate in her ears. When the time came, Nico was embarrassed to admit that Maki's love interest in her story was a bit of a self-insert. She had fallen for the words she wrote down, which became real in her dreams.
What Nico didn't foresee was the wild success of her shabby novel. The romance story that took the nation by storm, soon read in every nook and cranny of Japan. Honestly, she would've preferred to have it left as a dusty novel, alone on the empty shelf of the unnoticed bookstore. That way, she would be able to keep Maki to herself. Her beautiful princess now had millions of admirers, both within the story and in real life. As childish as it was, from time to time Nico got jealous.
Of course, a sequel was demanded. With the constant fan emails and media pandering, how could she say no? That was a single mistake Nico wished she could take back. A simple 'No' would have sufficed; yet in the heat of the moment, she agreed. With success and popularity clouding her mind, she announced a sequel. The only problem now, was that she had no clue what to write. Nico's once plentiful mine was now run dry, not a single piece of ore to be found. Her depression had only gotten worse with the overbearing cloud of expectation roaring above her head, dropping buckets of rain and lightning upon her fragile mind.
Tossing an empty beer bottle at the Scarlet Princess across the table, Nico shoveled soggy cereal into her mouth. "Stop looking at me." She grumbled angrily, her mood souring even more as the bottle completely missed, colliding with the floor in a frenzy of glass. Nico scoffed, slamming the spoon onto the wooden table as she stood up, abandoning the bowl of cereal and stoping towards the living room, where she then took residence on her comfortable velvet love seat.
Nico dug her phone out of her pocket, searching for the mail app with tired eyes. Opening her email, she refreshed the page, a frown on her lips as emails from her many fans flooded her inbox, along with invitations to meet ups and other opportunities; things she had never once agreed to. At some point, it had become taboo to leave her home. Nico became afraid to leave the safety of her house. Afraid of having to speak to others, afraid of their resentment, afraid of their disapproval. Why are they so persistent? She thought to herself, deleting the emails one by one, barely taking the time to skim through. I haven't replied to a single one, yet they still send them. What a bunch of idiots.
There was one idiot in particular that made it a point to email Nico every day with questions and analyzations. Apparently, her name was Hanayo Koizumi. Earlier in the year, Nico almost replied on the girl's birthday, which she'd mentioned in her one hundred and sixty ninth email. In the end, she chose not to. The name 'Rice_Luvr' showed up in her inbox every day with a different message. "No." Nico commented, swiping the email into the trash bin.
Clearing her inbox took a good chunk of time. Nico didn't notice the pouring rain outside, which pattered against the windows, along with the wild wind that shook the house itself. Thinking nothing of it, she reached for the remote, cursing her short arms. "Almost there..." She whispered, reaching for the device on the coffee table. A gasp escaped her lips as her fingers wrapped around the remote, throwing her body off the couch. Nico landed on the floor with a thud, the remote clutched dearly in her grasp. "Nice." Losing the will to get up, she pressed the power button, watching from the floor as the television came to life.
Nico glanced at the grey skies, then back to the television. Picking up her phone once more, she dialed Pizza Hut's number, which burned itself into her memory. Fortunate for her, she ordered pizza so often that the only words she had to utter were something along the lines of 'Give me the usual.' No questions asked. With a wide grin, she opened her mouth to speak before the doorbell interrupted her. She deadpanned, ignoring the voice speaking to her through the phone as she gazed at the door in annoyance. "It's Yazawa. Give me the usual." Nico said, waiting for an 'okay' before hanging up the phone.
The doorbell continued to ring, it's shrieks vibrating Nico's eardrums. "Shut up and go away." She muttered under her breath, continuing her 'I'm not home' facade. Although her visitor seemed to be very set on speaking with her, because the doorbell's rings became more rapid, and soon knocking joined the fray. "Fine, fine." She shouted, getting off the floor with great difficulty. "I'm coming, chill out."
Nico placed her hand on the doorknob, hesitation freezing her in her tracks. Who could it be? She wondered, gulping nervously as she turned the knob, pulling the door open. She hadn't spoken to anyone in such a long time, she wasn't mentally ready to greet this stranger. Nico cracked the door just enough to see outside, crimson red eyes peeking out from her cave. What they were met with caused them to stretch wide in disbelief. Nico wiped the crust out of her eyes, blinking a few times before gazing at the woman stood in front of her.
Windswept scarlet hair flowed delicately on her shoulders. Twinkling violet eyes gazed at her, unamused as the girl struggled to hold her ivory lace umbrella against the furious wind and rain. Nico couldn't believe her eyes. She shut the door in the stranger's face, holding her head in her hands. "It can't be."
"Hey! Open the door!"
Once the irritated voice flew into her ears, Nico knew it was her. A beautiful girl with gorgeous vermillion red hair and dreamy lavender eyes which reflected space itself. There was no mistake, Maki Nishikino stood outside her door. Furious knocking ensued as Nico gathered her thoughts, opening the door just enough to fit her head outside. "Wh-What do you want?" She stuttered, her eyes glued to Maki's alluring face.
"Isn't it obvious?!" Maki retorted, gesturing at the storm around them. "Let me in!"
"Oh." Nico replied dumbly, holding the door open for a dripping Maki, who quickly folded up her umbrella and slipped into Nico's messy home.
"Geez, what took you so long? I was out there for a while you know!" Maki huffed, leaning her umbrella against the door before crossing her arms.
The way Maki spoke snapped something in Nico, something that compelled her to fight back. "What were you even doing outside in this kind of weather?" She argued hotly, trailing off as she noticed the stripped red dress Maki wore, which stuck to her skin, outlining her figure. Nico also tried not to notice the fact that it was now see-through thanks to the rain.
Maki skeptically rose a brow at the other, her rosy cheeks darkening as she covered her chest. "Wh-What do you think you're looking at?" She demanded, turning away.
It's her. Nico repeated in her mind over and over again, as if Maki would disappear the second she forgot. The words she had written in her novel were standing right in front of her, embarrassed and dripping wet. She didn't know how to react. I don't remember drinking last night. She thought to herself, gazing at Maki with a frown.
"Stop staring at me!" Maki scolded, shooting a glare at the writer.
Suddenly flustered at her tendency to zone out, Nico let her gaze fall on anything except for Maki, which was increasingly difficult. "I'm not." She defended, soon changing the subject. "Why are you here?"
"What do you mean?" Maki replied, a look of confusion plastered on her pretty face.
"You know." Nico elaborated with a shrug. "Why are you here?"
Maki deadpanned, speaking flatly as she brought a finger up to twirl her wet hair. "You just repeated your own question." She commented with a sigh. "I needed to get out of the rain."
"That's it?" Nico asked, bombarding Maki with questions. "Why did you pick this house? Where were you before? Didn't your parents ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"
"Shut up!" Maki shouted, silencing Nico with a deathly glare. "To answer all your questions, I don't know. I can't remember anything, but when I saw this house, I felt like I needed to come here. Is that good enough for you?" She spit sarcastically, huffing as she fidgeted uncomfortably in her drenched clothing. "And get me something to wear, I'm dripping wet."
"I'm not your maid, idiot." Nico grumbled, gesturing for Maki to follow.
The two walked in silence; a cat got Nico's tongue as her heart beat madly against her chest, threatening to pop out any second. Behind her, Maki kept a cool and reserved demeanor as she trotted along, a slight frown on her lips.
"Your house is filthy." Maki announced, pointing at the sea of empty bottles and trash littering the floor of her house.
It had become a habit not to clean; it wasn't something Nico cared enough to do. The mess used to bother her, but not anymore. She tossed her empty bottles to the side, not so much a flinch as it joined the pile of trash that was her house. Maki had a point, although Nico had no plans to improve it. On her better days, she considered it. Maybe she would take a can or two and throw it away. But on her bad days, things only got worse. Alcohol had become her therapist, her best friend. Addiction was an understatement; Nico knew she had one foot in the grave, and she only dug the hole deeper.
"You're the one who demanded I let you in, dummy." Nico retorted, a triumphant feel arising in her chest as no reply came.
The girl in her house perfectly resembled the one in the story. Of course, Nico had many dreams about meeting Maki. But now, she followed behind her in the flesh. Nico wanted to stare at her forever. She wanted to feel Maki, to make herself believe that this was real. Deep within her, Nico had a sickening feeling that she would turn around, and Maki would be gone. Her thoughts were reassured as Nico heard a sneeze behind her, followed by an annoyed huff.
Maybe, just maybe, it was a sign. A sign that things would get better.