01. Mirror, Mirror, Standing Tall
A groan escaped parched, dry lips as deep green eyes fluttered open. A piercing beep rang through the darkened room as a hand shot out from thick quilts and slammed down on the alarm clock. Emerald hues glanced over at the clock and soon the blankets were shuffling as she stretched, a rather large yawn passing through the woman as she swung her legs off the bed and stood up. Shuffling to the small bathroom connected to her bedroom, she plashed herself with cold water and looked up in the mirror. Messy, long crimson locks stuck out oddly from atop her head, and two exhausted green eyes blinked back at her. It had been a restless night and Asami Sutaraito had to admit that she looked like shit. A quick shower and the young woman got dressed. She threw on a simple outfit for the day; plain black shorts, a blue tank top, and a grey jacket, and pocketed her cell phone before exiting her bedroom.
The small two-story home housed just her and her mother, the latter working three jobs and rarely ever home since Asami had signed up for college classes. A pang of regret made the almost twenty-year-old redhead grimace as she reached the empty kitchen. The microwave blinked at her that it was about two in the afternoon and there was a note on the table like normal. Emerald eyes scanned the paper with a nod. Her mother would be home about midnight, which was to be expected with her third job having her work nights. Asami ventured to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle before shouldering her backpack and heading out for classes. Tokyo was always busy. There was never a silent moment in the city, and today was no exception as she made her way down the familiar sidewalk full of pedestrians. People of all ages passed her by, some heading home from work, others freshly released from school, and others like her were heading in to their respective buildings.
It took her the normal thirty minutes and she smirked as she took the steps up to her campus two at a time. By the time the bell rang for the next set of classes to begin, she had slid into a seat near the back and sighed. History. It was the one subject she despised, but it was necessary for her core requirements. The projector displayed the topic for the day and a groan escaped her lips: Feudal Myths. Emerald hues rolled in exasperation, but she pulled out a notebook, ready to at least take notes. The intro took a while before her instructor wheeled in something else.
A shiver ran through her spine as he pulled off the white sheet to reveal a six and a half foot, standing mirror apparently from the time period. Unease rippled through her as she eyed the mirror from her seat throughout the lecture. The hour and thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye and Asami groaned, her forehead hitting the table in front of her with a thunk. She had been inspecting the mirror from afar for the whole class period and had not written a single note. Anxiety settled in as she slipped the notebook away and waited for all of the students to file out of the room before making her way to the front.
"Ah, Ms. Sutaraito. Did you have a question?" her teacher asked as he gave her a smile. Asami half shrugged, attempting to come up with something that was believable enough without saying that she had heard nothing all class period. A beat of silence was followed with a nervous chuckle as she placed her backpack down. "Uh, Miyato-Sensei? I was wondering if I could get some extra credit…?"
Her teacher blinked, but an amused smile played across his face, "You slept through the lecture again, didn't you?"
Asami's cheeks flushed scarlet, but she nodded. "Uh... yeah. I was up late studying and sorta… fell asleep." Laughter bounced off the walls from her teacher and he nodded. "Sure, why don't you clean up the classroom before you head home? Make sure to ask one of your classmates for the notes. Tomorrow's lesson is going to be about the myth of demons in the feudal era."
He left the room and Asami sighed as she moved to the whiteboard. She picked up the eraser and began to clean it, grumbling about her own inability to tell the truth. She had not slept during the lecture, but was staring at the mirror. Emerald green eyes flickered to the object that had captured her attention so firmly and tentatively made her way in front of it. It was… tall. Being only five feet three inches tall, the mirror towered over her a good foot and seemed as though it had been well cared for with it being an antique. The glass was crystal clear and Asami stepped closer, the hairs on the back of her neck raising in unease with every step she took closer to the mirror. She reached the mirror and looked at her reflection. She was a pretty young woman with long crimson hair and deep emerald eyes, but she also felt that something was wrong about her appearance. Asami stepped closer, eyes narrowing as she looked herself over again.
Seconds passed as she stared at her oddly bright hair and a scowl crossed her features. She had always wondered why she had red hair when her mother's was black, and from what she knew of him, her father's was black as well. Her suspicions vanished when she blinked, and her reflection started to shift in the mirror. Her crimson hair slowly melted away to the same raven hue as her mother's, and her green eyes lightened up until they were an impossibly bright light blue that nearly glowed in the afternoon light that filtered in through the windows. A gasp escaped her as she stumbled back, only to stare at the new reflection with awe. This… This is what she wanted to look like. Asami reached out to touch the glass when it seemed to glow and shine, her reflection vanishing before showing a strange clearing. She wanted to see the reflection again when the glass seemed to shimmer and suddenly a white light flashed. It was instantaneous. The moment the light blinded her, and she yelped against the burning sensation in her eyes, Asami felt herself being pulled forward and off her feet. Blinking away the spots in her vision, but the swirling sensation in her stomach forced her empty stomach to still churn as the swirls of color passed her by.
The sun was beginning its descent down towards the horizon as the birds chirped in song. The forest was filled with varying melodies of its feathered friends, at least it had been. A flash of light emitted from the dense forest and a body collapsed onto the ground. A woman with long hair as black as night and paled skin laid strewn about the small clearing, deposited in such a matter that seemed negligent. A rumpled jacket with a college logo hung loosely off the woman's shoulders, and she wore only a pair of shorts and a tank top. Long hair was tied back in a high ponytail and sweat glistened against the sunlight that illuminated her skin, with labored breath echoing in the newly silent clearing. A dull pain rocketed through her body as she tried to move, and a groan escaped soft lips as she finally opened her eyes.
Leaves shuffled in the distance and shouting could be heard as vibrant, brilliant blues fluttered opened to survey the darkened skies past the tall trees that hung overhead. A soft cough escaped her as her eyes focused upon the skies above. Colors blurred as she blinked against the light and forced herself up by her elbows. Dazed, half-focused blue eyes scanned the small clearing and she pushed herself up to sit on her knees. A grimace passed over her features and the woman hissed softly at the ache in her muscles. Where was she? Pressing a hand to her forehead, the raven-haired woman tried to remember how she had ended up in the middle of a wooded area, alone and unconscious. Her vision cleared as she rubbed at her eyes and thought back. She had been helping in an activity after class. Her history teacher had brought in a mirror, and she had helped clean the classroom after hours for extra credit. But…
She blinked as she forced herself to remember. She had wiped down the chalkboard and clapped the erasers to clean them, but then… A soft gasp escaped her as she remembered looking into the strange mirror that he had brought in. A shiver ran through her as she remembered seeing her face literally change in front of her own eyes and the mirror cracked before a bright white light had blinded her. The woman looked around the small clearing once more and forced herself up onto her feet. Her teacher had left the room before she had gathered the courage to look into the mirror, and she felt her skin prickle up with goosebumps as she looked around to find herself very far from her classroom.
A shout echoed from the trees and she turned to look around the tree line. "H-Hello?" she called out softly. Blue hues glanced down to find that she had no bag, just her usual shorts, jacket and tank top that she frequently wore to classes, and she reached into her jacket pocket. Relief flooded through her as her fingers brushed against the cool plastic that was her cell phone. Pulling it from her pocket, she lifted it above her head, trying to acquire service. Nothing. No matter what direction she turned, she could not get service and a frown tugged at her lips as she sighed exasperated. She had no idea where she was but—
Another shout forced a gasp from her lips. "Over here!" it said, the person's tone clear and angry, "It's him, alright! I know that stench anywhere!"
Panic pulsed through her at the strange sentence, but she had nowhere to go. Brilliant blue eyes scanned the clearing for an exit, some direction, but she found none. Instead, the bushes behind her shuffled and she whipped around with wide eyes and stumbled back until she fell, the blade of a rather large sword pointed at her.
