"Shintaro-kun!"
Shintaro Kisaragi let out a troubled sigh, glaring as he craned his neck to the side. In hurried clumsy steps, a familiar face wrapped in a red scarf was moving toward him. It had been so long, he doesn't know why he thinks that is so, but he didn't let the bright smile that looked so perfect on her go amiss either. So despite being left out to bake under the sun for who knows how long, for once he didn't suppress the urge to smile back at her.
But he wouldn't be him without the chastising. "You are so slow."
"Mou, it's been just 14 minutes." Ayano Tateyama huffed, tottering into a halt.
"Exactly, it has been 14 minutes. Hasn't anyone ever taught you that it's rude to make people wait?"
"It's not like I've made you wait for an hour!"
He gave her a look as he stood up from his seat on the bench.
"Okay, fine, I'm sorry." she pouted, settling on the same pace as him. "But come on! There was something I had to finish!"
"Even so. You should've budgeted your time properly to be able to finish everything and not be late. Especially on such an important day as today."
Her eyes lit up at the reminder, and she was grinning again. "I know. And you're going to love it, my surprise."
"Oh? Surprise? And what might that be?"
She placed her index finger against her lips, "It's a secret!"
He paused, shaking his head. "It's a good thing I made the others go ahead."
"Oh, oh! They're already there then?"
"Yes, that was just implied."
She made a noise of protest, but his lips curved at the sound of it.
"Let's hurry then!"
He doesn't remember how he got there, but all Shintaro knew next was that he was standing in front of a door with the numbers 107 on it. The sun that was over them minutes ago is now staining the world a vivid red-orange color and just when he was about to complain about the dark that was soon to eat them, warm fingers brushed against his left hand.
"They're waiting." she murmured, sounding somewhat uncomfortable.
"They have been, yeah." he answered glancing at her. She pushed the locks off her face, hooking it behind her ears.
"I'm nervous." she blurted out. "Do you think everything will be okay?" her head turned towards him, and for some reason he felt uncomfortable seeing the bright red tint on her eyes.
He took her hand in his anyway, holding on tight. "Of course."
The door, after that however, had been rather anti climatic. It was him that reached for the knob and turned it easily, gently shoving it to reveal the home that made up the apartment. He doesn't remember why think it is a home, because he is sure this isn't his house. Ayano tugs at their entwined hands, smiling already when he glanced back at her, and they stepped inside. Familiar voices had greeted them not long after, and suddenly he is surrounded with warmth.
"You two took years!" Takane Enemoto exclaimed, slapping him none too gently against his right arm.
"Ow...why don't you blame this girl here." Shintaro pointed at his companion, then grinned discretely when she gave an indignant noise.
"I had to finish something." Ayano puffed her cheeks then moved away from the two. Shintaro's eyes drift to the side, spotting easily the- "Hi Haruka-kun!"
"Ah, Ayano. Shintaro. Hi."
"Are the others here?"
"Yeah they've been-"
"Oneeee-chaaan~", "Wait, Onee-chan's here already?", "Shush! J-just hide- Hide it already dimwit!"
He spots the trio then, popping rather lamely from the hallway.
"Hi you two~! About time!" Kano Shuuya grinned as he stood in the middle, hooking an arm around Kido Tsubomi and Seto Kousuke simultaneously.
"Guys the table is se- wow, Onii-chan. I'm so glad you decided to come at all." Momo Kisaragi had her hands on either side of her hips, staring rudely at her brother.
Hibiya Amamiya mockingly shook his head, "Tardiness is a disgusting trait, Uncle."
"Wait what? Me? Disgusting? You little-"
"Now, now!" Ayano clasped her hands together, breaking upcoming bickering. "I brought something for everyone, why don't we eat instead?"
And whatever argument they had was thrown aside for Ayano's magical surprise.
It will be hours later, or so Shintaro thinks it is hours later, that they found themselves huddled around the center table, the love seat and the couch surrounding it. He is not alone. He remembers the violet hood, the green overall, the othello jacket, the pink ribbon, his little sister, the noisy voice from his phone, the brown haired kid. He remembers the flash of red, the grins on their faces. The brownies, sometimes pudding, which they ate whilst talked. He remembers these people, the feelings, but he wonders why is it that they are gathered here.
He gulped the last of his juice, then settled the glass on the table. When he looked up, they were all staring at him.
"Shintaro, are you okay?" the concern was evident in the voice of the guy wearing a green overall.
He huffed, the quirk of his lips soon to follow, "Of course I am."
"Sure you are."
"But don't you just find it weird?"
"What is weird?"
He couldn't help the feeling that settled at the pit of his stomach, "This. All of this."
"Why is it weird?" he heard as he watched the pink ribbon disappear under light colored locks. "Because I don't feel weird."
Like they always do when it was about to end.
End?
It was quiet then, and Shintaro is desperately wondering why something is going to end. Or rather, exactly what is going to end.
"I guess it must be goodbye, now." He hears one of them speak, always the one that looked like Haruka Kokonose.
"You won't forget again, will you?" In return he asked, sounding a bit cheeky when he did.
"Don't worry I couldn't forget a tale like this."
The guy in othello jacket let out a dry chuckle. "I wonder about that. I bet you'll have completely forgotten about it tomorrow."
"And is that so bad? I mean, if there are better days to come."
"But we'll meet again somewhere, right?" His sister piped in. They all looked at each other, and for some reason he can no longer see their faces, can no longer remember what their names are. But they were looking at him again, so tentatively he smiled.
"Of course we will." this is a chorus of voices he couldn't determine, and with a confused look that he doubted they could see, he watched the guy with silvery locks move away from them.
"...well I'd better get going now." the guy spoke, waving his left hand at them.
"Right," he said despite the feelings that was stirring inside him. "See you later."
The two of them nodded at each other, then he watched as that guy moved to the light.
Shintaro looked back to the people surrounding him, but they were gone. He stared at the empty spaces on a living room he swore he had never seen before, and the sight broke his heart. He couldn't pinpoint why. All he could comprehend was that his eyes was blurred of the tears that brimmed his eyes, and he hastily wiped them to try to control the situation. He wasn't able to do anything. The hurt inside his chest was so overwhelming.
He woke up with a start.
Order Made
December
"Shuuya-kun!" insistent beating on the door. "Shuuya-kun, wake up!"
A groan.
"Wake up, wake up! It's already eight-am in the morning! You know we have duties!"
Kano Shuuya grumbled upon his breath, moving his pillow to cover his face.
"Wake up!"
"I am!" he shouted back, sitting up and shrugging off the white blanket that covered him. His eyes was met with the small of his room: the mahogany divider to his side at the wall, the vacant bed next to the door to the comfort room, the bookshelf at either side. The desk in the middle of the two beds was currently littered with notes, positioned before the circle top window with several books jutting out of the edge and onto his side table. He yawned as he stood, placing the book from last night to join the others.
"Shuuya-kun, wa-"
He opened the door to the somewhat shy little girl, Marry Kozakura. She was his room neighbor, occupying the one in front of his. As far as he knew, they were both thrown into this hell hole orphanage, a zoo for humans to be exact, just scant days apart making them instantly partners when it came to their daily duties. She was a lot weirder than him though, apart from the fact that her hair was a long washed white color, and that her eyes were a vivid shade of pink. Even though he couldn't remember so much from the past ten years of his life, at least he remembered his age and his parents. This girl couldn't. That's why he couldn't blame her for being in a state of panic almost one month ago, when she was brought here from the forest north of their city.
He could remember her sobbing as she entered the lobby of the orphanage, first lingering at the mahogany double door like a frightened animal. He never saw who brought her in and back then, no one had the guts to approach or console the albino. He wanted dearly not to care about her but something pulled him in, so despite feeling awkward (it was only his fourth day and he wasn't close to anyone) he placed down the box he was carrying and shouted a loud cheery, "Welcome, Kozakura-san!" Everyone present then followed, adding their own greetings and warmly hugging the newcomer.
"Shuuya-kun!" her voice snapped him back to reality, and he yawned, closing the door again. "What are you-"
"I'm going to change, Kid." He muttered, his voice laced with exhaustion for staying up late last night. Five minutes later, he was dressed in his usual dark colored hoodie and denim pants and was ready for the day.
There were about 23 2 to 12 year old children when he arrived at the orphanage and it has been four months since. Children aged 13 to 21 (the oldest) were tasked to help with the household chores, and it still proved to be a lot of work since including him and Marry, they were only 6. They served as the helpers with Mrs. Ashikawa as their Orphanage Mother.
He wasn't surprised that Takano Miyo, a blonde aged 20 was finished cooking breakfast, and Mikaela Hyakuya blond aged 13 was helping with getting the noisy children down the tables. How the little brats could get energy so early in the morning will forever remain a mystery to him. Marry hurried down the aisles to aid Hyakuya.
"You look like-"
"Shit."
Without looking, he knew that Amano Tousaka aged 17 is behind him. Tousaka was the first person he was able to properly converse within this hell hole, and from what he had gather, the guy was here since he was four years old. With unruly maroon hair, Tousaka stood next to him yawning.
"You look like shit yourself." He muttered back, claiming a seat for himself.
Today, he and Marry are assigned to tend the garden (it's snowing, so why bother?) and looking out for the children, in case they decide climbing over the jagged brick walls a challenge accepted. At 5pm they are to escort all of them inside, and then they will be Yamaguchi Marika aged 21 and Yamamoto Emiya's (age 15) responsibility. He was assigned to clean the tables in the evening as well, then make rounds at night.
"The snow is piling up." Marry managed
The day had proceeded uneventfully, with the schedule followed dutifully. It was astonishing how easily he had gotten used to this new life, but he supposed it was because he could adapt easily. Given that he couldn't remember beyond... waking up inside a home without his mom. He didn't let himself linger at the thought, because it could be worse, it could be not remembering anything.
He was heading back to left wing where the older children's rooms were located, thinking about how he will proceed with his life when Mrs. Ashikawa called out for him.
"What is it?" He asked, his face never hinting the twinge of irritation he felt. The Orphanage Mother was a rather chubby woman with a greying bun hair, a gentle face with crinkles around her mouth and eyes from smiling too much.
"I'm really sorry to be bothering you this late and I understand you need your rest dearly, even if I secretly know you're reading instead and I want to tell you to stop doing that because you're going to ruin your eyesight and-" For this reason. Because the Orphanage Mother had a thing for blabbing so much before she got to the point, and he never had the heart to tell her to shut up. "-cause you to lose your weight but there's a new young lady that was asked to be accepted here and she seems really upset and won't come inside. I have her guardian waiting at my office as we speak, but I need you to assist her to at least stay at the lobby. It's so cold outside."
New girl? But why him? Wasn't he like one of the most recent people here?
He tried not to sound so panicky, "What about Marika-san?"
"Gone to the Nurse Apprenticeship Program."
"Miyo-san?"
"Cafe night shift."
"Um... Tousaka?"
"I understand your discomfort Shuuya-kun, but I insist that you go since you are far more...sensitive than Tousaka-kun. Please don't tell him I said such thing." Mrs. Ashikawa chuckled a bit, "Now please be kind to her. I will come to you as soon as our conversation is over."
Wait? He can't remember agreeing to what the woman said. He reached out a hand to stop her, but the old woman had already turned on her heels and stalked away. He sighed at his misfortune and trekked to the front door, making the most painful sluggish walk the world could ever see.
However, even if he took two hours (it was just four minutes) to get to his destination, the nervousness in his chest only grew. What did he knew about these kind of things? Welcoming Marry was easy because he only had to shout, but this was different. This was personally meeting someone one-on-one and what did he know about people? Besides that he liked to observe and analyze them to know what to say...but those only applied to the people he had time to spend on or with. What if he made the situation worse by saying something stupid? He let out a frustrated sigh when he reached the last step down the stairs to the lobby and caught a glimpse of the double door left open. There was indeed a person standing outside despite the chilly wind, and taking a deep breath he took tentative steps toward her.
Only to stop several inches.
She was sobbing quietly, her shoulders shaking and without seeing he knew her lips were pressed together to stifle the sound. Under the moonlight her long green hair (what an odd color, he remarked) still glittered and only vaguely did he noted that she wore a thin purple shirt, jeans and a pair of green converse. He opened his mouth to make a joke about freezing to death but didn't. Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck, berating himself for feeling so uncomfortable.
"So cold..." he heard her whisper to herself.
He stared indecisively at her back, at the cemented pathway, at the pillars, the front yard covered by a blanket of snow, the cloudy night sky leaving so little for the moon...and he took of his hoodie. Gathering all the courage he had (what courage), he stood next to her in his white shirt, not looking at her but offering his hoodie. In his peripheral view he watched her flinch, sniff, wipe her face and look away.
"You should um...at least wear it if you don't want to go inside yet." He said, fixing his eyesight at the sky. Was that a shooting star? Won't that be too early for Geminid this year? So interesting.
There was about a second or so silence.
"Take it." He insisted, and in surprise or gratitude (he still doesn't know; anyway, do ants really not take a rest even at night?) she took the cloth between her fingers. Okay, it was cold. Another shite he doesn't know is how she was able to stand the temperature... He could hear no more sobbing from her so at least she's no longer crying...?
He picked the next moment to turn his head, and caught her looking back at him.
To say that he didn't felt his heart stop momentarily is outright lying. She was...well...pretty.
Wait, did he actually thought that? Ah, he was screwed. But she would've been a lot prettier if she weren't staring at him like he was an enemy about to strike her down. She lets out a huff and forcibly hands the hoodie back at him.
"You need it more than I do." her voice hoarse, she looks away again. She noticed, and so he let out a chuckle.
"You do too. I don't mind lending it, but I do mind it if you had just died of hypothermia in front of the Orphanage doorstep. Now that will be a bit difficult to explain."
She was glaring at him again. "I'm not dying because of hypothermia."
"Well then come in. I make the best hot chocolate in town."
CHAPTER END
Hoooo. Welcome to a new series! This will be different, I must say. I won't be following the every month per chapter because I have details planned out, and I only hope that it's better than what I imagine it would be. Basically, this one is a post-Summertime Record fanfiction, thus the conversation referenced here. This could also be Eine Kleine's sequel...or not, up to you, but I will still be making references of my headcannons there. Plus, I just derp picked Miyo, Hyakuya, Tousaka and Emiya's names because why not (though Tousaka and Emiya's were altered, and Ashikawa is actually random). Cookie for the people who know where they're from.
Another thing is their ages here. Let's all just pretend that they are all a year younger, meaning the trio and Momo are 15 turning 16, Shintaro and Ayano 17 turning 18, Takane and Haruka are 18 turning 19, and Marry is still 140. It'll make sense later on. I haven't written beyond chapter two, so I'll be saying in Author's Notes if I make any changes/major details upon the story. (ps. Order Made has a Kagerou Project ver. if you people aren't aware of it yet. You guys should totally check it out. It's awesome.)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone (haha) stated in this fanfiction. Also the picture, I found that one in zerochan from a user named Meo.
Anyway! I do hope you will accompany me through this road again~
Next Chapter:
Red. Green. Books.
"Are you okay?"