Hey, everyone! I did not put romance as a genre since I find the other two genres more important to the story, but I love Ayushiki so much, so its in there. Nothing too sappy though I hope. Also, by angst I did not mean wangst or complaining; I was thinking more of anxiety.
Well, I hope you enjoy!
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Someone else's feet were imitating Ayumi's. She sped up. They sped up. She slowed down. They slowed down. They were synchronized.
And that scared the hell out of her. Normally, she would accuse Yoshiki, but he went home hours ago or at least she assumed so. He had no reason to stay. Maybe he needed help?
She wanted to check and see if it was him, but her head wouldn't budge. It was glued forward. Instead, she just kept walking. Faster. Faster. Faster.
And the echoes got faster. Faster. Faster.
Ayumi could barely stop herself from breaking into a run, but she refrained from doing so. What if it really was Yoshiki? He would hold this against her for eternity. Or worse, what if it was Satoshi? That would be so embarrassing!
So, she resisted running until her legs began to tremble furiously. Suddenly, she darted down the sidewalk. Her heart beat a thousand times each second and the thuds in her chest were so loud she couldn't even think. All she could do was run.
Block after block after block.
Still, the footsteps wouldn't stop.
She approached an apartment building at the end of the block, and without even thinking, she scrambled inside.
Thud.
Ayumi lay on the stairs, breathing heavily. The footsteps had finally slowed down, but they were much louder now and the volume only seemed to grow. Desperately, she tried to pick herself up. After a couple minutes of struggling, the footsteps were as loud as fireworks. Ayumi tried to stand again, but her arms struggled to hold up her body weight and her legs didn't want to move.
The footsteps stopped.
In an attempt to see behind her, she twisted her neck to an agonizing angle. Through the blurry window was a black silhouette. The follower was outside. The little air Ayumi had in her lungs became trapped.
The area fell quiet.
Then, the footsteps started again.
Ayumi let out a forced sigh and pushed herself up.
Thud.
She was on the steps again. Her head ached as if someone had bashed it in with a hammer. Throughout her trembling skull, a buzzing noise echoed relentlessly. She could hear nothing over the overbearing beep. It was a sort of loud deafness, but it didn't last long.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The lingering strength Ayumi had seemed to drain away, but she had to get up. She had to escape.
...
She could feel his warmth spreading to her from his soft hand. She never wanted to let go. The world was cold and dark without him. No matter how many candles she had lit, everything was still dark, except for Satoshi. He was the sole light in the bleakness.
"Shinozaki-san," his voiced hugged her ears like an angel's wings. She could listen to it all day. "It's going to be alright."
It WAS going to be alright even if she was struggling to breathe two minutes ago. She could finally move her arms again. She no longer felt doomed.
However, she was exhausted and Satoshi's soothing voice did not help. She had fell asleep.
...
Satoshi...
Ayumi recalled his kindness as she whimpered quietly, voice cracking. She wished he was there just like he had been during that blackout last year.
Her vision blurred as tears began to accumulate in her eyes. She longed to see him.
Painstakingly, she trekked up the stairs, her legs screaming with every slow step. Only her will wanted to go on. The rest of her was ready to collapse.
Around her, a symphony of noises filled the air.
Step. Tap. Pant. Wheeze.
Step. Tap. Pant. Wheeze.
Step. Tap. Pant. Wheeze.
Each note singing over the high pitch ringing.
It never ended.
Ayumi started to hiccup. She wished she could just fall asleep in Satoshi's arms, but he was nowhere near. He was probably at home, laughing with Yuka and eating something delicious. He wouldn't be thinking about her. As much as she hated to admit it, he'd more likely be thinking of Naomi than her.
Someday, he and Naomi would have little, perfect children while Ayumi would be trapped under the earth alone. The thought pained her. She was about ready to flop on the stairs and cry. Only the approaching footsteps prevented her.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Pant. Wheeze. Pant. Wheeze.
She couldn't run forever. Besides the fact that she was exhausted, the apartment building wasn't endless; eventually, she'd reach a dead end. She needed to hide.
When she arrived at the 5th floor, her eyesight had became too blurry to see and each step was an aggravating jump that shook her whole body.
Frantically, she began banging on the doors. Her voice was dead as she cried for help.
Creak.
A door downstairs slowly opened. Outside, the wind was howling, but Ayumi could barely hear it over her breathing and the annoying buzz.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Something was coming up the stairs. She wished it was someone who lived there, but she knew it wasn't. It was her follower. Squeezing the knob to the point of strangling its nonexistent life, she jerked the nearest door knob around.
The door wouldn't open.
Of course. It was locked and so were the next three.
Frantically, Ayumi grabbed the last door knob and prayed that it would open. She already knew it wouldn't budge, but she shook the knob anyway.
Suddenly, she was face-first on a wooden floor. She looked around confused. The door was wide open behind her. It must have opened while she was leaning on it.
Ayumi scrambled to her feet, trying to ignore the aches throughout her bruised body. Quickly, she shut the door
Inside, the lights were on. The room appeared rather spacious, mostly due to the lack of furniture. There wasn't much else besides a TV in the corner and a couch facing it.
Looking closely, Ayumi spotted someone resting on the couch. The boy had unnaturally blonde hair and wore grey from what Ayumi could tell. Nobody had that hair. Nobody except...
"Ki...shi..." The sounds barely escaped her. "Kishinuma-kun?"
Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I already have the other chapters written out (because otherwise they would probably never come to be), but if you have any advice, please let me know! There is always time for changes.
The next chapter may be uploaded sometime this week or in about 4 weeks because of traveling plans. It will probably be the former, but who knows.
I hope you come back for the next chapter. See ya!