"Due to a malfunction in the switching system, today's rail schedule has been greatly altered. We apologize to any customers in a hurry. The next stop is Iwatodai…"
Shit. She was almost there.
Inside the New City passenger train Anehazuru sat a young girl in a school uniform, surrounded by a sea of strangers. The pony-tailed brunette was in for a long ride and was lucky enough to find a vacant seat early in her journey. Not that she would show happiness for any aspect of this trip. Her stomach turned at the thought of her destination. She turned her mp3 onto the highest volume to calm her nerves, up to the point where her seat neighbors could hear every word the powerful female voice was singing. "I will-"
'Burn my dread.'
'I once ran away
From the god of fear
And he chained me to despair '
Tatsumi Port Island. Iwatodai. Gekkoukan High. It was a whole 'new' world for her.
Yeah. Right.
Why was she going back there?
"I-It's a very respectable school, Minako-chan. It would bring you closer to Tokyo University! With your grades, I know you'll do great things there."
Bullshit. They just wanted to get her as far away from their family as possible. Minako Arisato had been bounced around from home to home long enough to know when she'd overstayed their welcome. Which often wasn't long. After all, who wanted to live with the 'Grim Reaper'? Anyone that tried to get close to her paid with their lives. That piece of 'advice' followed each household, and eventually they
Tokyo University? It was never her dream. Just another ploy to send her as far away as possible. Nobody cared about her anymore. The ones who did were long gone.
The train reached the end of the tunnel when the lights of the city skyline against the midnight blue sky shined through the windows. There she could see the silhouette of the bridge. She remembered that place very well. Better than she would have liked to.
'(Burn my dread) I'll lift my face,
I will break the chain and run,
'till I see the sunlight again -
and run to the sunlight...'
Dammit, if only she could run. If only she had the courage to run. There weren't many options left for her and, while Minako was book-smart, she knew she wouldn't survive out on the streets alone. Not without pissing anyone off.
"Iwatodai. This is the final train bound for Iwatodai. Please take care to board before our departure."
The conductor's voice was drowned out by the ocean of people spilling out of the train, leaving only Minako seated, having not heard the conductor's announcement. One of her seatmates, an older father maybe mid-forties, turned back to face her, as if to give her a polite heads up, but the young girl seemed to move on her own, shoving her way past the man who only tried to show some common courtesy.
The large digital clock in the station flashed 11:58.
She was late. She would wake up the entire dorm at this rate. A rude awakening to start off their meeting was definitely not something Minako was rooting for. It was bad enough she was here, but she certainly didn't want to make any enemies. Well, she had enough experience transferring schools to figure out her survival tactics.
Just keep your distance. Don't show weakness, and never show your true self.
The lobby was nearly filled to its capacity, despite how late it was. Probably because of the train delays. Minako never dealt well with big crowds of people, so she took refuge in an empty corner and relaxed. In about ten minutes or so, the crowds should subside and Minako will be able to meet up with whoever is supposed to take her to the dorm. The person who gave her the details on the phone said that it will be a student guide, so they'd probably be wearing their uniform. And seeing how it was the middle of the night, she doubted there'd be any other students prancing around- not in their uniforms, at least.
The seconds wasted away as the crowds started to dwindle. Minako could hear the ticking clock echo through her ears.
'11:59.'
Wait a minute. The station's clock was digital. There was no clockwork inside to make a sound. So where was the sound coming from? The ticking grew louder. A ghostly moan sounded louder and louder by the second. And then everything stopped.
'12:00.'
The lights powered down first. The smallest hum of a power line Minako wouldn't have heard before shut down. Though she had her eyes wide open, all she could see was pitch black. Then, it was almost as if her eyes reset themselves into night-seeing vision. Her environment was now just barely visible and tinted a deep shade of green. But that's wasn't the only odd thing.
The sea of people that previously occupied the station lobby have disappeared, leaving Minako alone with a cemetery's worth of coffins. Her breathing turned ragged.
She had seen this before.
Visions of the fiery wreckage from those horrid memories shook her psyche as she began to hyperventilate. She could practically feel the space around her close in on her as she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck. Something -someone- was behind her. Minako slowly turned to catch a glimpse of black-striped pajamas and all too familiar blue eyes.
"Hello, Minako-chan."
Her eyes widened in a mixture of recognition and sheer horror. Her already tense body had frozen into place.
You're not supposed to be here.
Her brain screamed at her legs to run, but all they could muster was a quivering backstep.
"Minako-chan."
No. You're not real.
The brunette made a complete 180 and ran for it. Where she was going, she didn't know. But she had to keep it together. Whoever this figure was, he was nothing but a ghost.
You're not real.
"Why are you running away?" His disembodied voice rang in her ears. "You know I am always with you."
Tears streamed down her face as she burst into a sprint. Shit. She was beginning to break down.
"Time escapes no one. We all come to the same end. And yet you choose to run away."
Please stop.
"But wishing won't make the bad go away."
She managed to shut his voice out. Minako zigged and zagged around the coffins as fast as she could with the station entrance as her destination. She ran faster than she ever did before. She didn't even know she was capable of going that fast.
And of course, there just had to be something wet and slippery right in front of the door to stop her. Her foot slipped. She could feel the shock of pain as her ankle twisted in a way no body part should go. The pain of her injury sent Minako down to the ground, sliding into the front door with a bang. She had her eyes shut tightly while she breathed through the pain.
"You must fight it of your own free will."
When she opened her eyes, however, all she found was a vision of bright red. Sitting in the middle of a red pool of blood. Imaginary flames surrounding her. Watching the white of her socks stain. Just drowning in blood. That was her breaking point.
She screamed.
.
Turn the clock back just a few minutes.
Outside the station doors, a young man leaned against a column. His cool demeanor coupled with his broad shoulders and muscled physique certainly made him quite a head-turner. The people exiting the station, female and male alike, agreed. The silver-haired man caused many faces to blush just from passing by him, and yet his gaze would not break away from the station's entrance.
'She's late.'
Akihiko Sanada broke his staring contest with the door to look down at his watch. It was almost midnight. Which meant he had to kill more time during the Dark Hour. Perfect.
Why did Mitsuru ask him to pick up the transfer student again? Welcoming new students was a task more suited for the Student Council President than for the self-denied protein junkie. Not that Mitsuru was elected yet, but the election's pretty much in the bag for her. Even Takeba, the social butterfly that she was, was more suited for this kind of duty. Akihiko grumbled quietly to himself as the Dark Hour passed over him. He wasn't even phased by the transition anymore. The people that passed by him earlier has already transmogrified and he didn't even blink. He simply sighed and shifted in place.
'What should I do for the next hour?' He thought to himself as he looked up at the nearly full moon. 'I could try searching for Shinji again.'
That's when he heard a crash at the station entrance and the sound of a scream on the other side of the door. And he immediately leapt into action.
Akihiko ran to the doors, simultaneously trying to open the powered down doors as well as soothe the person's cries for help. The doors proved to be tricky as the Midnight Hour turned the automatic entrance into an iron fortress. Out of sheer will and strength, he managed to pry the separating doors open.
The first thing Akihiko saw was the bloodied body of a girl crumpled on the floor in front of him. He immediately dropped down and checked for signs of consciousness, only to meet tear-stained amber eyes. That's when time started to slow down for him and his train of thought clicked back into place with a sudden realization.
This girl wasn't supposed to be awake.
.
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Almost doubting if the other was even real. A full minute had probably passed before Akihiko came to his senses. She was hurt. And scared. This wasn't the time to question how she was there.
Akihiko knelt down to ground so that they could be on equal levels. The mystery girl had finally stopped crying, only managing with a few sniffles here and there. But the eye contact was intense. One might think she was too afraid to blink, lest her savior disappear. Aki, being the awkward turtle that he was, didn't know what to do. Her reddish brown eyes were so hypnotizing that he lost all sense of logic. If he were to stare into them any longer, he'd be reduced to pudding. Akihiko tore his eyes away from her, and finally understood.
This girl has the Potential. He had to let Mitsuru know right away. They had to-
Akihiko felt a tug on sweater and he remembered their situation. Her crimson eyes began to tear up again.
"Please …please don't leave me alone..." A tiny voice stuttered.
A pang of guilt shot through Akihiko's body as he remembered feelings that he had long since discarded. This girl wasn't Miki. There was no reason for his remorse. Nevertheless, he silently scooped the girl into his arms, cradling her. No words were exchanged as he pulled her weight up, and began walking.
.
Silence followed them even as Akihiko carried the girl through the streets of Iwatodai. He knew nothing about this girl; not her name, circumstance, or even a home to take her. But he figured if she had the Potential, the SEES dormitory is the first place to go. The girl had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, lulled by the gentle sounds of his heartbeat.
.
Sleep never came easily for Minako. When she slept, thoughts rooted into her brain that took dream form. Nightmare form, really. The subject matter was always the same. The Reaper that followed her shadow, taking away anyone she may have loved. Having the same dream over and over has numbed Minako slightly, but the growing number of graves. That was what truly haunted her.
This wasn't that dream. It was a simple one, really. From before it all began. All she can see is a boy not older than, say five-years-old. Bright blue eyes and the hair color to match. And he smiled at her. Though Minako couldn't see herself, she felt herself smile back. The boy held out his arm, as if he was trying to reach her. She extended a hand as well, running toward him. It wasn't until she got closer that she realized he wasn't reaching out to her. He was holding something.
"Take it."
Though she was never known for compliance, Minako's response was automatic. She trusted him with her life and accepted the mysterious object. Even in her own hands, she couldn't figure out what it was. Her dream vision only saw it as an amorphous blob. She looked back at the boy in confusion, but he was already gone. A disembodied voice rang out through her ears.
"Nobody can escape the passage of time, but only you can choose your own fate. Use it wisely."
Though cryptic, those echoing words seemed to be the key to unlocking the mystery object's shape. In Minako's hands laid a silver gun.
.
Akihiko struggled to open to the dormitory doors. He was still cradling another person, after all. The walk back took almost an hour. Hopefully that would be a cue for the Dark Hour to end. Akihiko desperately needed a shower after the night he had. He gently placed the girl on the couch in the common area, careful not to wake her. This effort failed as a breathy moan broke their unspoken silence pact. Crimson eyes fluttered open, but it wasn't Akihiko they focused on.
"Wh-who's there?!" A frightened shriek startled them both.
Minako was still a little drowsy, but it took only seconds to find the source of the yell. Standing behind the silver-haired stranger was a wide-eyed teenager pointing a gun at them. Was her brain playing tricks on her? She was still dreaming … right?
Akihiko was shocked, which was surprising in itself for what it's worth. He just never expected this kind of welcome. Sure, Takeba was a new recruit, but to let her fear overtake her like that? And in front of a civilian? Though this girl did have the Potential. But how were they supposed to explain this? And what-
"Takeba!" A fourth person cried out, silencing Akihiko's inner turmoil. Mitsuru Kirijo arrived in the nick of time, but how was she going to smooth it over?
And just like that, the world began to revolve once more, as if nothing stopped from the very beginning. The lights flashed on and Minako's mp3 player began blaring out music, surprising the girl just a bit. Not as much as a gun to one's face, but surprising nonetheless.
"I didn't think you'd arrive so late. My apologies." A tall redheaded nonchalantly called out from the hall, as if the last thirty seconds never happened. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, and I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."
Minako's eyes widened just a bit, as if her brain was being overloaded with too much information within the timespan of whenever the hell she woke up. How did she even fall asleep in the first place? All she could remember was slipping and falling. And that was it. The stinging pain in her ankle must've been the aftermath. So did she pass out from the pain? But that didn't explain how she got here, in the dormitory that she was meant to spend her first night in.
The girl with the silver gun stared at Minako cautiously, only prompting the brunette to mirror her expression. "And this is?"
"She is a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign her here. She will eventually find a new dorm but for now, this was the only dorm with space for her." Miss Kirijo explained. "This is Yukari Takeba, she is a junior just like you." Mitsuru motioned for the other girl, Yukari apparently, to come face her. She quickly dropped the stink-eye and gave an embarrassed smile. Instead of the friendly greeting Minako practiced in the morning, she went with this introductory line.
"Why do you have a gun?"
Instantly, Yukari's face turned to sheer horror as she turned to Mitsuru for assistance. The older girl carried her signature smile that will get her out of any trouble.
"You know how it is these days, we need something to protect ourselves. Don't worry, it's not a real gun."
Oh, she's good. Minako still didn't believe her, but Mitsuru seemed like the kind of person who could talk her way out of anything.
"And behind you is Akihiko Sanada, one of your seniors." Minako swiftly turned behind her, not realizing the man's presence. "Akihiko, thank you for bringing Miss Arisato to the dorms safely."
He was the one who brought her here? Minako looked up into his grey eyes with alarm. He just stared back, silent as stone. Sanada looked as if he wanted to say something but immediately held back. Minako's eyes narrowed. Suspicious.
"Well it's getting late. You need your rest for tomorrow." Mitsuru said. "I can guide you to your room. Your things have already arrived, so need to worry about that. Takeba, if you could turn the lights off behind us, that would be greatly appreciated."
Minako walked past Takeba and Sanada without so much as a look in their direction. Everything about this place was … interesting, to say the least. Whether or not that's a good thing is still up for debate. She followed Mitsuru up the staircase to the third floor. Neither spoke much, but Minako would rather have it that way anyway. They approached the last door at the end of the hallway. Mitsuru turned to face her.
"This is your room. My room is this way, should you need any more assistance." She spoke with a smile that seemed almost sincere. Or maybe it was. It was hard to tell with this kind of person.
She let Minako open her door as she turned to leave before stopping again. "Oh, and if you'll please not mention the events that occurred tonight within the school building, I would deeply appreciate it." And with that she walked to her own door before closing it gently behind her.
Minako did the same and only when she knew she was completely alone did she let out of relief.
Well, this is going to be a weird year.
.