Prologue: Away from Here

Hi guys. After a long absence, I'll admit my English has gotten way too rusty, so I'd appreciate it if you point out the errors I've missed. Thanks :)

Disclaimer: No, I don't own KHR.

"… She's here."

"Quick, the bucket!"

"One… Two… Go!"

SPLASH!

"…" the unfortunate girl merely stared at her drenched skirt as she heard snickers and giggles above her, and then footsteps walking away.

"… Weirdo. Serves her right." More voices followed after that sentence – she recognised one of them as the gang leader – but they died away.

Shaking her head like some dog, she made her way to the school sanatorium. The nurse was rarely there – and she can get dry towels there. Like usual. She met no one on her way there – which she counts as a blessing. She entered the infirmary and locked the door. And set to dry herself.

Wearing the spare uniform she hid in the closet, she dried the last of the wetness in her hair before proceeding to brush them. All in dead silence – she was not someone who'd hum while doing something. Or the type to speak at all.

She stared into the mirror, into those deep amethyst eyes. Not a trace of expression can be seen.

Nagi set down the brush onto the sink before she went back to her class.

The bell rang, and she packed her bag, ignoring the stares and glares around.

It has been like that since kindergarten, and she just stopped thinking why, or to even care about them anymore. Isolation is part of her life. Although it'd be nice if the bullying can stop.

Or if they talked to her.

Or if they smiled at her.

Or if they even acknowledged her.

Nagi mentally shook her head as she headed out of the school gate. Even when walking through the evening crowd, they sort of shied away from her – as if she was a plague to be avoided.

She walked on to the last crossroad of her path home, and waited for the light to turn green. It was during that time she noticed an anomaly.

A black cat sauntering as he pleased across the road, without a care in the world. Certainly without care of one oncoming, speeding car straight at it.

Someone – somebody else – noticed the cat too, and the oncoming car.

"Oh dear. Poor cat, he will not survive that car, isn't he ?" Even as Nagi heard it, the cat has noticed the car, and seemed to freeze at his spot.

Nagi found herself running forward and scooped the cat up, safely cradling him in her arms. Even though her brain screamed for her to get out of the way, her legs seem to have expanded their energy in just jumping into the situation, not out.

There was a sickening sound of breaking bones – of which the pains she noticed a few seconds later after the impact. And it hurt so much, she wondered why she still haven't screamed as she lay on the ground, staring at the sky.

Then people swarmed all around her, observing. Only the driver and a few of the by-walking pedestrians had been helpful enough, calling ambulance and all. One had even attempted to stop the blood flowing from all over her body.

"It's… useless… Isn't it?"

"Dude, that girl just flew when the car hit her. She'll just die."

"She's an idiot anyway. Who goes out of their way to save a stray cat?" Even though she's losing her consciousness, those words rang clear in her mind. But she's powerless to even open her mouth, much less talk back to them.

As blackness started to invade her sight, she saw the cat she saved among the observers' legs before she lost to the darkness and the pain.

"… This is your fault!"

"Oh yeah? Who is gallivanting around throwing parties when she should be at home?"

"That can't be helped! I am helping you with your connections!"

"You should've paid your attention to her!"

"She's weird! How on Earth I can change her even if I do pay attention?"

Nagi just blinked as she stared yet again, this time at the ceiling. Her body felt numb, probably due to the morphine, and yet she's having difficulty breathing.

"So you're saying I should donate part of my heart to her?"

"It's your responsibility -"

"Ha! Why should I? She's the one at fault, running to the road by herself!"

A ringing sound, followed by a click. Then an impatient sigh can be heard.

"Tch. The meeting is about to start soon." A feminine laugh – a condescending one – rang about the hospital corridor.

"Talk about responsibility. So you're going to shove this girl off to me?"

Nagi tuned out the rest of the conversation. She knew that her parents – if they can be called that – will do nothing about her anyway.

'… I'll die, am I?'

She closed her eye, letting a single tear fall.

She remained like that for a long time, gasping for breath, when she felt some sort of weight on her stomach. She opened her eye again.

The black cat – the same one she had rescued – sat there, amber eyes staring at her intently.

'… Do you want to go away from here?'

'… Huh?' Even in her last moment, Nagi was still dumbfounded. First, this animal had just talked in her brain, and second, it asked that kind of question…

'You are giving up on this world, aren't you?'

'…'

'Do you want to go away from here?' The same question was repeated patiently.

Purple met amber, and Nagi found herself nodding.

'So shall your wish, let it be granted.'

She felt herself floating, among all the impossible things that could happen to her.

'This… is as my way of saying thanks to you.'

The hospital sort of dimmed away into nothingness.

'Although… I can't help you with anything else. Sorry.'

Swirls and colours and weird shapes formed themselves around the cat and her.

'… Live on. Live on with your strength. Live on with all you got.'

Those sincere words of encouragement – the first one ever for her – made her blush, made her felt embarrassed. And touched her.

Nagi smiled. There were many questions in her head about this… cat, but she merely said,

'Thank you.'

"… Oya oya, what do we have here?"

"A human? … Kufufufu… This is interesting indeed."