Okay, Okay! It's been a long time, and I apologize for that heartily! I've had a lot of tests and projects, so it was sort of hard to write this! That and practically half of my friends had their birthday this month so that was pretty hectic. To say the least, I'm pretty much sick of birthdays at the moment. I wonder if anyone reading this has their birthday in October as well. Let me know if you do! Anyway, this is an extra-long chapter (and a pretty dramatic one at that), so I hope that that sort of makes up for the late release of this chapter! Also, (not so) fun fact: I re wrote many parts of this chapter just because I was not pleased with how they had turned out.
Now, time for the reviews!
Frost D. Zen: Lol, the chapters will continue to come, but let's see how fast! ;) I'm glad that you liked it!
xenocanaan: You're totally right! There really aren't enough Nagisa x OC stories out there! Let's see about that whole Aki x Nagisa thing though! ;) I hope you like this chapter too!
TotallyEcho: X,D Yeah, maybe she really should have! Although stars seem far more… romantic (?), don't they? I'm so happy that you're liking it so far, and above all, that you actually found it funny! I was really wondering whether anyone would find any of those lame jokes funny, so I'm really glad that you did. Sorry to disappoint though, this chapter won't really be that funny! (I think)
Thank you very much for the follows: Conan in love, AryaZEvans, xenocanaan, mangagirl-adb and VariegatedMosaic! Your follows really made my day(s)!
Also, loads of hugs to TotallyEcho, mangagirl-adb, tuniejr and xenocanaan for the favourites!
I can't believe that so many people even liked this! Thank you so much for all of your support, and sorry for the not-so-perfect quality of this chapter! I literally just read over it a couple of times!
On to the chapter then!
Chapter 3:
"You may now begin your examinations," instructed the middle aged examiner.
I sighed, bored by the serious and suffocating atmosphere of the classroom. Each student had concentrated all their attention on the exam, and the silence that followed was one so thick with tension that I felt that I could cut through it with a knife. And to think that we're only in junior high! Picking up my pencil, I flipped over the exam with my spare hand and began one of the most boring, and easy exams in my life. In all honesty, I really did not even now about the standards of education these days. Shaking my head like an old geezer recalling the good old days, I tried to just get it over with.
As my eyes followed the neatly printed words, my mind assessed them and so my fingers shaped out the result of the actions of both. Using my usual messy handwriting, I scrawled down each answer one by one, taking small breaks in between to determine what to write next. Before I knew it, I had completed all ten pages, and, glancing at the clock carefully placed above the desk where the examiner slept, it had only taken me fifteen minutes.
Tch! Last time it took me only ten minutes!
After carefully contemplating whether I should take a quick nap before the next exam, I walked up to the examiner and handed in my papers (but only after waking up a startled and slightly annoyed middle aged man). And so, I made my exit, ignoring the awe stricken faces of my classmates. The school hallway was quiet, a humongous change from the usual; where chattering students would fill the whole school with noise.
Well, at least there's one use for these boring exams!
Ever since the incident, I had grown a liking to isolation. I just didn't like being around too many people; people that would betray me at any given oppurtunity. They didn't want to help me. They will never help me. Painful memories flashed before my eyes, and the lip that I bit to avoid the oncoming tears bled.
Stop thinking about it! I began to hum some random anime opening, ignoring the aching of my heart. Soon, I successfully distracted myself, or perhaps that was what I told myself. I shook my head, imagining that by doing so I left behind all my troubles. Then, I proceeded.
I skipped over to the rooftop; the one place where I could be closest to the past. As I opened the door I noticed, to my utmost annoyance, that two peers of mine lingered around the corner, waving to me happily. I reluctantly returned to favour, only to then ignore them by heading off in the opposite direction.
After finding a place where I would be out of the sight of the irritatingly friendly classmates, I laid myself down on the cold, tiled floor, shivering slightly upon contact. I stared up into the blank sky, losing myself in my thoughts.
I wondered if the sky that looked down at me was the same one that I looked up at in my previous life. Everything seemed the same from the exterior, but in all truthfulness, the base of my reality had been shaken, leaving me in a mess of rumble. How could it be that the earth continued to revolve, the seasons continued to change, people continued to live all while I was left behind, confused.
One thing intrigued me, however.
Everything had changed for me, and yet the stars in the sky continued to glow and light up the lives of many during the time of darkness: the night. During the day, however, they seemingly disappeared, but I knew that they were still there, awaiting the opportunity to light up the time without light once more.
I guess light always is there, we just can't see it. I wonder if the light in my life will ever be fully rekindled.
I raised my hand slightly, grasping the air, but had it slip through my fingertips at each attempt. Four years had now passed, and I was in the second year of middle school. I no longer tried to pass this off as a horrible dream; even nightmares could not frighten me to such an extent. For now, all I had was Yuzu.
Even as my heart felt contentment and love for her, my mind warned me. There was something that I was missing about Fuwa Yuzuki. I thought about it for what felt like stretched out years, and wanted to delve on it more. The answer felt so close, as if it were right in my grasp.
All of a sudden, as if its existence had been created out of plain nothingness, a sudden need struck me like thunder. I needed my sketchbook, now. Although I was unable to understand why, for the reason that I only ever sketched anything and everything from Assassination Classroom, I knew deep down that this was the answer. I scrambled for my bag, searching for it frantically.
Interrupting my voyage of discovery was, at that moment, the monotonous ringing of the bell that notified me, along with the two insignificant classmates of the beginning of the next lesson; namely, the next exam. For a moment, an inner conflict arose in me: education versus moment of discovery, but it held no heed. An unknown teacher had entered my domain and was currently ordering each of us to make it down for the examinations.
Internally sighing at my misfortune, I made my way to the room where I was to give my paper. Just as I was about to seat myself in said room, the far stricter examiner (in comparison to the previous one) tapped on my shoulder, annoyed.
"Miss Miura! I would like to remind you that school bags are not tolerated in the exam room!" I found the bag being forcefully snatched from my hands. "Come to me afterwards to collect it."
Then she marched off to the desk, leaving me to curse her like my life depended on it. I slumped in my seat and simply glared at the back of the person ahead of me to pass the time. As the accursed exam was finally distributed, I picked up my pencil and began.
As usual, I completed it without so much as breaking a sweat. It was a shame, really. For some strange reason, ever since being reborn I craved a challenge, but received none. Studies were easy, and although I was a dunce at sports, I had no interest in physical education, whatsoever.
I handed in my exam to a sceptical examiner when it had only been ten minutes in, and made my way out. Before I could resume the chaos that my thoughts had ensued earlier, the pop song that Yuzu had coerced me into setting as her ringtone began to blare loudly. I picked up the call, only to regret it a mere second afterwards.
"MIURA AKI! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT OUR PLANS FOR TODAY!" my ear drums suffered the price for my foolishness of not lowering the volume beforehand.
My eyes began to twitch, and I could only just stop myself from teleporting myself to strangle Yuzu. "Yuzu, may I remind you that there is still an hour left?" I spoke in a playful, sickly sweet sing-song voice.
"Hehe… so I guess it would be the wrong thing to tell you that I'm at your school?" her tone was hopeful.
"…" My face went blank and I refused to resist the strong urge to face palm with all I had.
"WHOOP, WHAT DO YOU KNOW? I'M TOTALLY NOT AT YOUR SCHOOL! BYE!"
My eyes swiftly began to scan the premises, and could only just stop themselves from rolling when they spotted an extremely out of place bush next to the lockers, which was suspiciously beginning to move toward the exit, only to bump into the wall. If the mumbles of "That ungrateful Aki… came all the way here for her" weren't enough, the terribly camouflaged sneeze that followed certainly was. I marched over to the completely normal bush that just happen to be randomly placed inside one of the most prestigious junior high schools (note the sarcasm), and whipped it off the floor, only to discover a startled Yuzu.
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow, obviously requesting an explanation. Yuzu, in response, giggled nervously, and then sighed, as if what she was about to reveal had been burdening her for a long time. The atmosphere had changed, and I could feel a chill in the air.
"Aki, at first, it seemed as if you wore your heart on your sleeve, but it turns out, there's a lot that you haven't told me" her eyes began to tear, and she stood up, heading toward the exit with me following closely behind. Suddenly, the comforting silence of the hallway had transformed into a chilling one that screamed for my overdue destruction. Anxiously, I tugged at my sleeves, as if covering over my secrets.
"Sometimes you have bruises on your skin, all supposedly because of small, insignificant accidents. You despise public, crowded areas and occasionally, I find you wincing in the presence of a large crowd. Miura Aki, you shudder at the site of alleyways and are seemingly allergic to red roses. I have never, even once in these two years met your parents and you refuse to let me in if they are present."
We were now outside the school, the harsh wind blowing at us relentlessly. Yuzu was unable to hold back her sadness, and a small tear rolled down her suddenly pale skin.
"Even though you try to hide it from me, you always act like you need to stay back for something and then ask every single clerk at every single manga store for a series named 'Assassination Classroom'; the one that you have been looking for like crazy since the day we met, but are still unable to find. I have heard of the characters from it on rare occasions, and sometimes, when you think that no one is listening I hear you talk about it. You sketch and paint in that sketchbook of yours, yet always change the subject when I request to see what's in there, or what you're drawing."
At this, she turned to me, finally making eye contact. The desperation in her eyes made me speechless. The guilt that welled up in me was overwhelming.
"Aki, you know you can trust me, right?"
That question itself forced me to think. Why hadn't I told her? I had no answer, but I knew that I simply couldn't. She couldn't find out, ever. So, as usual, I lied. And I knew that all those lies would one day surround me, and kill me. Only a long time after would I actually realize the weight of the seemingly light lies that I so easily burdened myself with.
"Yuzu, the truth is that nothing is alright." I started off with a sprinkle of the truth. "My parents are, for lack of a better vocabulary, abusive and manipulative. They don't deserve to be called parents. I'm sorry that I worried you with something like that."
I felt myself being thrown back as Yuzu jumped onto me, embracing me with all her might. Her whispered endearments came naturally, the warmth in them surrounding me. Then, as we exchanged awkward smiles of relief, we headed off toward my house. Yuzu remained determined that today it was going to be the best day of my life.
"Also, Aki?" she mumbled, still grinning. "Is that really all?"
I turned toward her, pushing my guilt down so that no one but me could be hurt by it. "Of course, you're my best friend! I would never hide anything from you!"
We headed to my house, and not another word broke the peaceful silence that told us that everything was going to be alright after all.
(Afterwards, when the destruction began :)
Both of us, dressed up and ready had finally begun Yuzu's master plan of: "making-this-the-best-day-of-your-life-whether-you-like-it-or-not!"
Thankfully, there wasn't much of a rush at our favourite manga store. We entered, greeting the clerk that was cursing his luck that we had to come during his shift, and proceeded to purchase some of our favourites. For today, I had decided that I was to buy some cheesy shoujo to cheer myself up, and so that is exactly what I did. I picked up any that I recognized from before, such as: 'Hirunaka no Ryuusei', 'Hibi ChouChou' and even the classic 'Ouran High School Host Club'.
When I became satisfied with the huge pile in my hands, I headed back to the counter to buy it. As the cashier began to scan them, I asked the usual question.
"Sorry to bother you, cashier san, but has-"
"For the last time, miss, there is no such manga as Assassination Classroom." He interrupted me in the same monotonous tone he always spoke in. I glared at him, huffing.
Bored by the direction of the conversation that I had unluckily initiated, I looked around, trying to avoid any further addition to it. I grinned as I sighted the hentai section, with a prominent "18 PLUS" sign above it. At such a time of the day, there was still a significant crowd gathered there, mostly consistent of high school boys. What caught my observant eye was the one boy at the back of the crowd, giggling to himself. His head had been shaved clean, like a Buddhist monks should have been; that only made him look even more out of place. Shamelessly, I stared at him, a small fragrant of a memory knocking at my insides.
It was Okajima: Okajima Taiga.
I felt my internal organs churn in anxiety; it failed to register in my confused mess of a mind that it was him. Yet it was as clear as calm, sea water. My feet began to move unconsciously and I apologetically smiled at Yuzu as she called for me. Then, I ran. I was afraid that just like with my previous existence he too would slip away from my very fingertips. Slowly, my stern smile melted into an excited one as I thought about if it was actually him. As soon as the smile had appeared on my features, it disappeared. I had been held back my shaking arms and I turned to who so ever had put a halt to my happiness. I digressed, turning to the furious old lady who was currently shaking her head in disappointment. She lectured me on the "vulgar new generation", and briefly (or, for about ten minutes straight) mentioned that she "had never before seen a little girl so eager to view such inappropriate material". I ignored her rants, my eyes scanning the area once more only to find that Okajima was not even there; as if he had never even existed.
Dazed, I went back to the cashier and finally purchased the manga that I had momentarily abandoned. Yuzu remained quiet, but only until we had exited the shop. Then, she dragged me to a vacant park that lay across the street. Crossing her arms, she scowled.
"What in the world was that about, Miura Aki?!" Yuzu glared at me.
I stared at her straight in the face, but all she could see where mine was supposed to be was a deceptive and cold mask. "I thought I saw someone I knew. It's no big deal."
Her expression softened slightly. "Aki, are you sure that you don't want to share anything?"
My smile looked bright as day but dripped with deadly poison. "I'm sure! What are you, my mom? Let's go and have some fun!"
Together, we hailed a taxi and decided to visit the local swimming pool; at this time of the day, there was usually barely anyone there.
Although in body I remained in the taxi, my mind roamed, finally addressing the issue that it had refused to acknowledge only seconds before. Could Okajima really have been there? The fact was that even throughout the last couple of years I had remained obsessed with Assassination Classroom, yet, why had the characters only just begun appearing? I pressed myself harshly against the hard glass of the window, as if hoping that such an amount of force would dispel all of the ridiculous ideas from my mind, but failed miserably. My lips pursed into a thin line as the thoughts became exceedingly worse.
Sure, even I get that my adoration of Assassination Classroom has progressively become more, but that's only because that's all that I have left from my old life! There's nothing wrong with that. It's not as if I really want to go back to that time, I never would be able to; I just wish to hold that light once more, the light that I lost.
I want back the happiness and joy that I once had!
I had begun to rap my knuckles anxiously against the itchy, irritable material of the seat covers. My actions made no sound, but my silence spoke volumes. The mere thought of my madness sent shivers down my spine. As tears pricked at the edges of my eyes, I felt my hand being gripped tightly. Jumping slightly, I went stiff for a while. No one had done such a thing to me for years: this simple squeeze of reassurance. Slowly, I relaxed under the warmth of Yuzu's hand and turned to her. I smiled slightly as she conspicuously avoided my gaze.
I had had enough; there was to be no more fruitless worrying. I let my mind drift and returned to the pretence of happiness that I had been in previously.
"Yuzu, there's a problem," I stated all of a sudden.
"What is it?" she turned to me, worried.
"What about our swimsuits?"
She smirked, whipping out two pairs of swimsuits, and I flinched at the horribly bright colours that the matched pair had: yellow and orange. "Do not doubt me. You too will be able to be like me one day, grasshopper. All in due time," she thought for a second. "Okay, so maybe not quite as amazing and spectacular as me, but you can maybe try out to be my sidekick."
Large red irritation marks formed on my head and I punched her shoulder. As she readied herself to strike back, we heard an obnoxiously loud voice clear its throat. We froze, our eyes widening; we were still in the taxi. Not only that, but we had also managed to reach our destination. I hastened to pull out the amount of yen needed and pushed Yuzu out of the car. I muttered a small "thank you" for the driver and made my way inside. Once more, my imagination took over and I subconsciously made my way to the changing rooms. Soon, however, I felt Yuzu tugging on my arm, trying to keep me from entering them.
I looked over at her, annoyed, and tried to yank my arm out of her grasp. She sighed, seeing that I was unrelenting, and suddenly, a mischievous smile took over her features. Before I could register just the amount of danger I was in, Yuzu let me go and the force that previously served to allow me to one-up her now caused me to go crashing into the door of the changing room and fall painfully onto the floor. Just as my hand had reached up to cradle my head and assess the amount of brain cells I had lost, I noticed that something was off; there was suddenly complete silence in the large room I was now in. I soon regretted my entire life as I raised my head out of curiosity. In the room were more than a dozen naked men, getting dressed either into, or out of their swimsuits.
"I'M EXTREMELY SORRY!" I yelled and scrambled disgracefully for the exit. I grabbed a hysterical Yuzu and ran for the women's changing rooms.
The blush did not disappear from my cheeks even as I dressed, chased after Yuzu and headed toward the pool.
"Why didn't you stop me?!" was my main concern as we walked at a sluggish pace to our destination.
She snorted. "Who are you kidding, Aki? I did stop you! But when you were so adamant that you just needed to get a peek at all those naked bodies, I just… helped!"
"Y-YOU IDIOT!" was my lamely put together response.
We had reached the pool now, and it was as we had predicted: almost empty save for a few. Leaving behind Yuzu, I dived into the cold, enveloping water and began to swim. It was strange; before, I hated even the idea of swimming, but now, it felt like an escape.
Who could possibly get me here?
Oblivious, I swam straight into the tiled side of the pool, gasping. I had only just begun to ponder the amount of brain cells I had lost that very day when I felt shaking hands drag me to the surface.
"Yuzu, I was really just fine, you didn't have to-"
It was not Yuzu, to say the least.
This girl's straight grey hair had been pulled into a neat pony tail and her golden eyes shone brightly under the water.
"If we're in the water, this just might be my turn to shine."
Shine indeed, Kataoka Megu.
I shouted an incoherent string of words, with no idea as to what I was saying. I climbed out of the pool, scraping my knees in the process. My hasty actions drew blood, but I did not care. I looked around hysterically, as if looking for some sort of help. Soon, I heard Yuzu yelling at me, but did not care. I rushed into the hallway once more and hastened to dress myself up. It was true. I really was crazy; I was seeing anime characters in real life.
That was just a hallucination! None of them actually exist; I'm just imagining them.
I ran, I ran, and I ran. My feet took me where I knew I could never have taken myself in such a dire state of mind. I got out onto the streets and ignored the dozens of insignificant people that ventured there. For all I knew, I was imagining them as well as every single other thing.
What was real?
That was the one question that haunted me endlessly. I needed to know at that very moment, I needed to just tell myself that I was mad and that that was the absolute end to it. There was no way that anything else was even remotely possible. I refused to believe it because it would mean that my "reality" was one that did not even exist.
My feet ached, and yet continued to move. Pushing past multiple people, ignoring their complaints, I just headed to where I knew I could get an answer. That is how I ended up standing in front of the house I thought I would never come to had there been a choice: my "home".
It had become late in the day and the moon scrutinized every being under its watch. The stars, they continued to shine as I ignored the yelling servants that pursued me. I just headed up to the safe sanctuary that I had run to multiple times before: trying to hide. The only difference was that this time, there was no more hiding to be done. This time, I was the one seeking.
I locked to door behind myself and plopped myself into the seat in front of where I had seated my glorious laptop. With my hands shaking, I typed the four simple words that would seal my doom. I clicked the search button, conflicted hopes in me rising.
The whole page filled up with never ending results, and I staggered backwards, gazing at the screen in horror. It couldn't be!
"Kunugigaoka Junior High School, founded by Gakuho Asano"
But this discovery clearly faded into the background as the shouts of many were heard from outside. People were screaming, but all those sounds had been easily covered up by the huge bang that echoed throughout the earth. It felt as if the world shook under the weight of all this confusion; it was doomsday.
The moon had exploded.
….
….
So… How was that for dramatic? Finally, Aki has figured something out! Also, warning: I have my exams coming up so I'm extremely sorry, but… I might not be able to update for quite a while! I'm sorry! Just bear with me, please! Favourite, follow and review! Your feedback really motivates, and helps me!
Until next time!
-DeceivingAura