"Time is never wasted, only used. We take things for granted: never realized as dreams and reality."
"Hey kid, are you alright?"
I awoke to someone standing before me; someone wearing a blue cap and sporting a goatee. Judging by the insignia on his (for the sake of argument) lapel, he was wearing a school uniform. Even through the halo caused by the interposition of his head between me and the sun, I could see he was friendly. I rose my head to find that I was somewhere behind a building, lying in a pile of trash; the time was early-twilight due to the bright sun.
I tried to stand up, only to fall back onto the trash pile; the kid grabbed my hand after I fell. He helped me up to a small chair that was in the alleyway, hoping to help me get my balance back.
"Where am I?" I grunted out, still adjusting to my surroundings.
I tried to get up only to have blue-cap keep me down.
"Whoa there, buddy! Y' almost fell and hit your head just then. Stay still!" he articulated in a calm, but serious tone.
He spoke the truth, I felt like crap. I was wobbling over because it felt like I had not moved around in a while and rightfully so...what a perfect place for me to end up at.
"I'll ask again, where am I?" I said in a frustrated grunt, still loopy from getting up.
"You're in a place called Iwatodai; behind a place called Paluwonia Mall,"
"Iwa...todai..." I muttered in a low tone.
He bent down and stared at my face.
"Sheesh, you like crap...I gotta get you somewhere. We're you in some fight?" he studied my appearance, commenting on how I looked.
He stood back up and proceeded to put his hand out.
"My name's Junpei. Junpei Iori."
I reached for his hand and grasped; his arm lifted my dazed body from the chair. We proceeded to walk out of the Alleyway behind the mall; he stared at me shortly, as I looked a bit dazed from the ordeal.
"Not every day that y' find someone sprawled out on the backstreets like that. How'd you end up there?" Junpei questioned.
"I...don't remember," I mustered out.
"I can't remember anything...all I remember is falling down and that's where I passed out."
Junpei shot me a look, worry grew as his eyes widened.
"Well...I'm at least glad I found you, dude. I'm not a shady criminal," he commented, looking at my confused expression. "Is there something wrong with what I said?"
"Wait. You said 'criminal,' what do you mean?" I shot back.
Junpei explained to me that we were on Tatsumi Port Island, close to where his school and the station we hiked to from the mall. He noted that this was his usual trip took him: the mall and then homeward with the monorail home. I found out that this part of town was full of vagabonds of the trouble-making kind.
We arrived at the monorail in enough time for us to get home. I sat next to Junpei, trying to catch my breath from walking. I felt worse than when I got up from the trash pile, but kept it low-key with him sitting next to me.
"I hope you don't mind if I bring you to the place I stay at. My dorm-mates might be willing to help you out," Junpei commented. "I couldn't do much now because I found you on the spot...sorry."
"Don't apologize, it couldn't be helped," I remarked, stung by the ire of my pain that was shooting up my back. "I just didn't expect someone to find me there."
Junpei nodded, and then smiled. He turned to his phone, reading off text-messages for the trip to the Iwatodai Station platform. Thousands of thoughts swarmed my psyche as I tried to relax on the monorail; questions on how I am human again.
The scene transitioned back to the night before, it's clear that I was sitting on the throne of creation, keeping an eye on time and space. But my body grew tired of the same old things.
"A wish I made, perhaps?" I thought to myself. "But why am I in this world and not the one I was before a part of?"
The thought of the past stung me and Junpei took notice, snapping me out of my train of thought.
"You alright, dude? Y' kinda look like you're gettin' sick or somethin'..." he said lightly.
He was right, the reflection: I could see that I looked a lot worse than what I imagined; pale and sickly . I noticed I wore some sort of attire I wore in the past, only torn from what seemed to be the damage I sustained from the fight in the past. I was bleeding from the shoulders down due to some nasty cuts. Memories flooded my mind on that battle.
He patted his hand on my shoulder, light on the touch.
"Don't worry, we're almost to the station; jus' give it a few more minutes, alright?"
I nodded, looking back at the ceiling of the train car I continued asking myself the same questions from earlier: "Why am I here? How am I in the human realm once more?" I sank back into waiting as we arrived into the station.
Junpei dragged me up to the steps of the Iwatodai Dorm, sitting me down as I laid out on the steps.
"I'll be back. Gotta get someone to help me lift you in," Junpei said, entering the dorm with haste.
The next moment a gray haired boy joined with him and lifted me u. They set me down on the sofa inside the lounge, a brunette-haired girl came to my side with medical supplies, treating my wounds.
"Junpei, where'd you find him?" I could hear the gray-haired boy speak. "He looks like he went through hell."
"I found him in the alleyway behind the mall! He looked like that when I found him..." Junpei shot back with a worried tone. "I didn't know what I could do, so I brought him here!"
The girl, tending my wounds paused and looked up from the ground near the sofa.
"Whatever happened, these aren't knife cuts...he looks like he fought against something..." she commented.
I tried to raise my head, but she pushed it down, noticing that I was now wide-awake.
"Please, don't move..." I could hear her whisper in a calm mood. "Everything's going to be alright."
I took her advice as she ripped my jacket and shirt off off and laid out on a towel; tending my gashes. A turquoise haired girl came soon after with a bowl of hot water, rags, and bandages. She treated my pain with ease, helping me feel comfortable as she cleaned my wounds.
A few hours later, the girl in pink sat me in a comfortable position; my body wrapped alongside my face, bruised and bandaged. A redheaded girl soon walked into the dorm and immediately noticed my presence, gaping at my bandaged body. She took notice to the three standing near me and immediately called them out.
"Akihiko, Iori, Takeba. Who is this?" she demanded.
I felt her gaze turn me to stone as I sat on the sofa.
"Junpei found him sprawled out in the alley behind Paluwonia Mall. We're not sure on how he got there, but it seems like he got struck by 'something'," said the brunette, Yukari as I later found to be her name. I heard her whisper to the redhead: "From what it looks like, it wasn't a shadow or person that attacked him."
She lightened the gaze on me and walked over to the three, averting her attention to them.
"This isn't good..." I could hear her whisper. "A civilian like him shouldn't be here. But if those aren't wounds caused by people...we're going to need him to stay here."
"We could always have him bunk in one of our rooms. Most of the ones on the second and third floors have furniture as storage," I heard Junpei suggest. "I can't say for mine or Akihiko-senpai's rooms, though; we don't have enough room."
The four grew quiet. Then Yukari spoke up.
"Well, I might have space in my room for him to stay in; considering I feel bad for him and tended to his wounds."
"Are you sure?" said the redhead. "For all we know he could be-"
"A normal kid?" a voice came from the doorway.
A blue-haired individual walked in with what seemed to be a large gym bag.
"Where've you been?" said the Gray-haired teen.
"I was at Kendo practice, decided to come home with Yuko and Kaz when I got a call from Officer Kurosawa," said the blue haired boy. "He found a wallet and told me to find who lost it."
He pulled out a familiar black-leather wallet and my eyes beamed.
"Hey...that's my wallet!" I mustered up my voice. "Where'd you find it?"
The blue haired boy walked over and handed it to me, I opened and fiddled around with the contents. Everything but a piece of paper and a photo of a dog were all I had left inside of it. I pulled out the paper and the name 'Ryota' scribbled out on it.
"I think this might be my name?" I gave a confused look to Junpei, who shrugged.
I turned back to the boy, giving him a calmed expression.
"Thank you for bringing it to me...your name?" I said to him.
"Makoto; Makoto Yuki is my name." Makoto looked at me with a friendly smile, hand extended.
I shook his hand in response, and then I turned to the others in the room.
"Thank you...for helping me," I said to the three. "I would've been dead by now in that alleyway, had Junpei not found me."
Junpei winced and sunk a little in his stance, but rose back up and smiled.
"No problem, anything to help people out!" I heard him chime out, winking at the end of the statement.
I turned to Yukari, who gave him a nasty look and placed my hand out to her.
"Thanks..." I said in a low tone, crimson-faced. "I never had someone keep me as calm like that when you were tending my wounds."
She shook my hand and looked at me.
"You're welcome..." she said. "My name's Yukari Takeba, I'm one of Stupei's friends...if you want to call it that."
"Aw, c'mon Yuka-tan; don't be like that," Junpei replied. "You know me better than that!"
"More than what I should," she scoffed at him, then turning to me. "So...I'll go set up a spare bed in my room, alright?"
I nodded, sitting down next to Makoto on the adjacent sofa. Everyone but Yukari followed suit.
"I'll be back in like a half-hour, alright?"
Yukari walked to the stairs up to her room, getting things situated. I turned to face the redheaded girl as she once more gave a cold stare.
"My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, I'm one of the students who lives in this dorm," she began, lightening her gaze at me. "We are currently going to school at Gekkoukan High School, on the port island not too far from shore."
The gray haired boy adjusted his collar, taking his introduction next.
"I'm Akihiko Sanada, Captain of the Boxing Team and another resident of this dorm," said Akihiko. "I hope you don't mind my fighting spirit, I just like to train..."
"A little bit too much!" I heard Makoto whisper, a fit of laughter erupted from the group. Akihiko slumped due to the laughter, though he remained neutral-faced.
Mitsuru turned to me after the hearty chuckle.
"Well, I suppose we can get along for the time being," said Mitsuru. "You don't mind if tomorrow we can go over arrangements when I return from school?"
"I suppose so, I don't have much to do anyways," I replied. "Kirijo-san, I must thank you for allowing me to stay here."
I rose and bowed at Mitsuru out of respect, she smiled at the candor.
"My, my...you're quite the gentleman aren't you, Ryota-san?" Mitsuru smirked following the comment. "If only the boys I knew were like this a lot more."
Makoto, Junpei, and Akihiko winced at the comment; the trio sank into their seats while Mitsuru and I laughed.
"It's respectful for me to bow at my hosts whenever I am staying," I replied with a courteous voice, composing myself. "It'd be a nightmare for me to not respect people: whether they're above me or not."
The conversation continued when the girl who helped Yukari, Fuuka Yamagishi, introduced herself. She had entered when Mitsuru came home. The subject transformed into one of ideals, what-ifs and the possibilities beyond the year they, not I, wanted to see. How tragic that they knew so little of what would come ahead of time.
Before long, I felt a familiar hand tap my shoulder, Yukari had finished with the mattress
"Hey, the bed's set-up," she said to me. "Are you ready?"
I nodded and stood up, waving at the others good night and I proceeded to follow her slowly up the staircase.
"Well, this is my room," she spoke as we stopped at a door on the third floor. Down below I could hear Junpei, Makoto, and Akihiko talking with Mitsuru. "I hope you don't mind, it's a small air-mattress I had in the closet."
She opened the door to reveal the mattress taking up one end of the room, set up with sheets and blankets. Her room was not as dirty as I anticipated, though a noticible pile of clothes stacked itself against one wall where her TV stood.
"Its fine," I said walking towards, and then sitting on it. I turned my sights back at her. "Hey, I'm sorry for making you feel awkward downstairs."
She sat on her bed, staring across at me, tossing her phone to one side of the bed.
"It's fine!" she said, holding her hands up. "I wasn't expecting someone to thank me for the hospitality. Especially one who looked like they got stabbed with a sword or something...like battle wounds."
I winced at the thought, realizing that my wounds could've been from the past.
"I understand, I just needed to feel formal and thank the person who took care of me," I replied to her. "Though, I kinda wish I had a pillow for my neck. Christ, I'm in pain right now."
She handed a pillow to me and I rested my neck on it. I stared up at the ceiling and for a while, the room was quiet. I had myself thinking for a while about what occurred before that alleyway, but I turned my attention to Yukari. Boredom had gotten the best of me.
"So...how is your high school?" I broke the silence by asking.
"It's a nice school; at least for a big city's standards," she raised her eyebrow at me. "Why'd you ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing...I'm just wanting to get back on track with my life; y'know?"
She nodded, but a look of worry came from my answer.
"What happened to you? That is...if you can remember?"
I took a moment and gave her a painful scorn.
"I don't know what happened to me." I rolled my eyes at the floor ahead of me. "All I remember is just waking up to Junpei...that's it."
She gave a look of remorse and got up to sit on the foot end of the mattress, handing me a blanket to cover myself.
"You look tired...get some rest, okay?" she said in a soft voice.
Much to my internal protests, I cooperated and began to fall asleep. I remained motionless for the rest of the night.
"Good night." I heard her whisper, my body falling into a deep trance soon after.
A night earlier...
In the streets of the city, a girl around the same age as Makoto had exited Iwatodai Station. Wielding a Nagatama and a backpack, she walked down the main street towards the apartment her family owned. She pulled out an old pocket watch that a friend from the past gifted to her. A sense of nostalgia came across her face, staring into the clock.
"...It's definitely not like the old days, huh?" the girl spoke as a spirit like Makoto's Orpheus appeared aside her.
"It is not. Remember that you're in another timeline, mistress!" barked the spirit. "I do wonder on why we travel across this already forsaken land? Why you and I must journey once more?"
"We're in another timeline because we destroyed Nyx in our world, remember?" the girl reminded the spirit. "Besides, our journey this time won't lead us to an end like my counterpart is set to meet here."
"You say as if it's easy; yet that naivete of yours only gets you so far," the spirit responded. "I wonder where and when this boy will appear?"
The girl shrugged, spirit now taking a relaxed pose.
"All I know is that Igor said this journey meant a new chance at life," the Girl began to speak. "This boy is important because of who he is."
"The Avatar of Creation? I doubt there is a being higher than Philemon," the spirit scoffed. "Though, we cannot be too apprehensive; Igor is usually right about these predictions he gives."
"That's why we need to give him a chance. Maybe this time we can destroy the 'problem' Igor spoke of," the girl continued. "I think whatever he said is true. He said that the boy will appear when the beasts roar."
"Ah yes, the 'Mizuko' I believe they're called?" The Spirit reminded itself and the girl. "What one has to wonder is why these 'unborn' abominations are running rampant in this timeline?"
The girl once more shrugs at the comment. She paused and looked at the building her apartment was in, turning to the spirit floating behind her as she sat down on the steps.
"I want to believe that we can finally live normal lives, Orpheus Telos. Though, even I'm not sure about our fate." the girl spoke.
"I know that whatever comes our way; I'll join him on the journey he takes. I'll live by that honor." The girl looked to the moon-filled sky. "I won't be doing this in vain. I promise."
Author's Comments: I hope people enjoy this first chapter! I had a ton of fun writing it! Hopefully I can get the personalities down a bit more, a bit rusty remembering how certain characters acted. Will be fixed as the story moves on along with re-edits!
EDIT [6/21/15]
- Added a new scene, changed some dialogue and scenes up.
DISCLAIMER: I own the OC, nothing else.
NEXT CHAPTER: Author's Commentary - "The Arrival" ~ 6/27/15
NEXT CHAPTER: "Brutal Awakening" ~ 8/22/15