That was a big load of crap. Oh well, gonna go with the plan and maybe rewrite things later. Feel special, it's made for you.
''
Like a Paper
Chapter 4: Dots
''
"That's quite a walk." A voice forcefully cut her meeting with the creepy Sandman.
Yukari grumbled incoherently. After cracking an eye open only to be met by Minato's flat face, she grumbled even louder and simply shut her eyelids down. Minato and the world would have to wait until she felt like dealing with them.
"Phase five: acceptance."
The sudden proclamation took the half-awoke brunette's attention. With forced energy, she wistfully looked into Minato's eyes, trying to find some sort of hidden clue. Her intelligent move was to glower at him when she didn't find any, "Stop the stupid talk." She hadn't accepted anything, she hadn't died. She held back the illogical urge to hit his head; what a sick emo. There was a beeping sound somewhere but she paid no attention to it. "Seriously, leave me alone. What are you, a stalker?"
Unable to literally walk out and scar neither his physique nor his pride, Yukari rubbed her temple with dry patience and yelped in surprise when her fingers knocked into each other. She quickly retracted, frowning at her injured hands that now donned streaks of ugly dried blood. It actually didn't hurt as much as before, still, the pain was there. Minato sighed as timid winds blew the moist coconut leaves.
All of a sudden, her stomach rumbled a horribly loud noise. The boy crooked an eyebrow at that. Blushing hard, she tried to avert the growing shame to something other than her burning face. "H-How could you find me?" It was all she could think of. The barely rational part of her mind felt sorry for herself.
"I placed a tracking sensor on your shirt." He showed a rectangular gadget that she thought was beeping every few seconds. "It's almost funny how you haven't realized it considering the noticeable size and cold, hard texture of it." Minato chuckled a little, playing the small gadget with his hands.
Now that he said it, Yukari felt something weird on her back. Lifelessly, she unplugged the tracking sensor, wildly threw it to the bushes, and tried to get up, once again, like the annoying déjà vu; her legs chose to fail her. Where was that energy when she needed it? At this rate, she could only shoot daggers at Minato for existing and murmured, "…I hope you fall of a bridge, get raped by a shark, and get eaten by it."
Minato cringed, perplexed. So, now it's his fault. He waited for another cuss she'd probably throw at him, but she didn't and instead merely averted her eyes elsewhere. She was secretly glad there wasn't any reflective surface in sight, before demanding bitterly, "Go away, please."
Although they both knew she didn't have any malice in her words. She was just tired and wanted to have some rest. Fate was being nasty to her. She absorbed her surroundings with narrowed eyes. There was the sunshine grinning coyly at her, the tides of the sea were high enough, and the air was damp and cold with no sign of people nearby. Thankfully, her right mind could still conclude it was morning. Wow, she was out for nearly an entire day.
Minato watched her deadbeat exhale and was about to show a piece of mirror to her face. He wanted to prove something, but then the girl sighed again and slowly drifted to slumber. After a moment of awkward standing and observing, he decided to let her be.
He reported to Mitsuru that they would be back in a few hours. "Yeah, she's here, exhausted and asleep. I ask a prolonging time for a few hours."
At the other line of the connection, Mitsuru nodded to Akihiko and Shinji. "Alright. We will check Yamagishi later. Don't screw her any further and be safe."
Minato laughed and ended the call, "Sure thing." He then proceeded to go to the nearest food franchise to have some meal. It wasn't easy following a girl who just walked into any path she could find. He was almost grateful she ended up in a beach rather than in some place where a high rate of criminality wasn't unusual, like the streets or the back alley of Port Island.
''
Stunning black sky painted itself above Yukari with a wicked smile. Drips of water sang like an endless lullaby as she inched closer to a figure standing before her. Tilting her small head to the side, the brunette ignored the howling wind.
"Let yourself free," the pretty figure said with such a calming voice that Yukari closed her eyes in contentment. "Break the chains."
The little girl examined the figure –that was, in fact, a girl with short blonde hair and shiny cyan eyes like tranquil oceans. She was beautiful, so beautiful that Yukari opened her mouth but nothing came out. Behind the young woman was the scenery of a burning house, screams, and tears. The brunette went rigid at the view, averting her eyes to the pretty girl for any reassurance. However, she only received a smile as her guide.
Yukari cried as she fell into a hole, with the beautiful girl desperately threw an arrow into it, stabbing the girl right in the heart.
The stars shone kindly tonight.
''
It was already dark when Minato came back and a pair of glaring brown eyes greeted him pointedly.
If looks could slay, he'd be halfway through the sea of souls, journeying to Hell. Needless to say, he raised an eyebrow and asked what would be the problem now. "What's-"
"I don't trust you."
Well, that ought to happen. She had been exposed to her own deaths in the last twenty-one days. Plus one for today. Of course, it wouldn't be an easy task to trust someone who claimed he had died. "Right." He agreed as he shook the sand out of his shoes simply, doing anything other than that would panic the girl.
Yukari wanted to leave as far away as possible, really, but the smell of food infiltrated her nostrils and she was stuck there gawking at the takoyaki Minato was holding. She hated to admit she was dying of hunger. After three noisy cries of her stomach, Minato sighed at the pathetic scene of a girl in starvation until he just decided to give the plastic full of takoyaki to her.
"I don't need it," refused the brunette, however, her stomach didn't cooperate with her and just sent an angry set of more rumbles. Thanks, body.
"You've gotta eat –no, I didn't poison it." He shoved the plastic to her lap, stopping her from voicing her accusation of him. "I can't save someone who's dead."
Opening it with blushing cheeks, she still tried to rebel. "What, do I look like I need to be saved, hero?" Suddenly, she remembered her last dream. It was oddly different from her usual dream of running and screeching. She decided she would think of that later, if later existed.
"So, you wish to go after your parents? That's very brave." The sarcasm was dripping wet but she couldn't care less.
Why would she? It was such a peaceful night with butterflies dancing and birds singing along, it's a good day to die! She hummed happily as she munched on the meal.
"I'll tell you this; to be alive, dying is not an option."
This made her intake pause. "Didn't you say there's only death or insanity waiting for me? I choose death, then. It's cooler and a lot easier." She continued eating, it was almost hilarious. She didn't intend to live any longer yet she still tried to fulfill one of every living being's obligations. It was so hilarious she wanted to punch another hell out of a window. "Is death really that scary?"
That's a weird question to ask. Minato pondered an acceptable response, "It could be."
"Now we're talking," Yukari nodded and gladly proceeded for a second of her breakfast. It was a perfect day to die; at least she wouldn't die starving. With her stomach filled, the little sanity she had left came back, knocking some common sense into her head. Shyly, she muttered a small, "Thanks for the food."
"Don't mention it." He said, moving to sit at a distance from her. He was cautious of her mind being on the verge of fourth phase of Apathy Syndrome; she could suddenly choke him to funeral and wouldn't be blamed of any tort, it wasn't her crime to be eaten by the disease.
Yukari noticed his strange attempt and the manifest, unsightly look of his. "You look really awful, you know that?"
That gained a snort from Minato. "One to talk with those cuts and bloods." He wore a jacket and jeans with the usual Converse shoes. He did have a few cuts from yesterday night's mission though. What made him awful was his attempt to get into Yukari's good side, and she knew that. It was almost painful to watch.
She shrugged, "I have a legit reason." She was more sensible now, grateful that she even told every functioning cell of her brain to not cry in joy. She was so damn emo. Disgusted at her yesterday self, she promised to not do any more diets, especially the ones exceeding three days straight.
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, the empty plastic bag flew helplessly to the sea. They would probably be blamed for loitering around, but for now, they had direr problem to discuss about. Being the gentleman that he thought he was, Minato broke the silence. "Still gonna die?"
Yukari gave some thoughts to it, "Who knows?" She shrugged and walked to the sea to meet her blurry reflection. "Even I refuse me." She regarded her drowning image—it was flapping its hands and legs violently, as if mocking its real self out the surface—on the water and laughed bitterly; it truly did a great job.
"It does, it's a fetch, after all." Minato nodded understandingly, looking into his own reflection that was looking into Yukari's drowned reflection. His fetch then stared back into Minato, shrugging its shoulders as if saying there was nothing it could do. The boy hummed lowly, having the same opinion as his mirror image.
The brunette spent a short amount of time envying their interaction; it would be helpful for her if her reflection were that agreeable. "A fetch?" She inquired as the tide slowly went back to the sea, calling for its replacement.
Minato pointed to her reflection that was tirelessly taking off its own life, "That is what we call a fetch. It usually happens to a person to tell them about their coming death." Yukari made a 'wow, I'm gonna die soon' with her mouth. Minato let out a chortle, "You must have seen death in the near past, right?"
"Right, three weeks ago, when my parents died saving me." The girl admitted without any expression. She hadn't cried ever since the accident, not even once. The fire wiped out all her things cleanly. So clean that she thought it burnt her emotions as well. She was grateful for that, or else, she would be crying like a child now. "Two deaths at a time, now that I think about it."
Minato stayed silent, praying for peace for her deceased parents in solemn seconds before continuing, "Seeing death exposes you to the subconscious mind, more specifically your fear of death. It was always there, but since you are now aware of it, it manifests itself as what we call a fetch," he pointed to her reflection that she refused to follow. If its sole purpose was to make her suffer, she declined wholeheartedly. "Or fylgja in Norse lore."
Yukari leaned on one leg whilst crossing her hands, "So death is definite for me." Her fetch laughed frantically, gaining a roll of her eyes. "Sure, let's get on with that. Can you lend me a ro—no, poison would suit me better. Where can I get a poison?"
The pharmacy would be the place, milady. "Calm down, listen to my elaboration. You are still on the third phase, so salvation is still possible. More so, you have the potential to be a seeker." Yukari untied her lips to voice the impending question, however, Minato beat her to it. "A seeker is a person who has accepted their death, generally."
All these information rushing into her system made her nauseous. Surely, it would be easier to understand if she had eaten more food. She intended to ask for more, but that would make her sound rude. "That sure is not confusing, sir."
Minato laughed quietly, "Isn't it?" Understandable, she had just gained back her senses a while ago, demanding her to get it the first time would be tasking much on her. "Why don't you try the Glitch, then?" Vaguely, he remembered Mitsuru's warn to screw her no further. He entertained the idea for a while before being more aware of Yukari's current state.
The girl just stared at him dully. She was beyond asking questions, it was more efficient if she just stayed silent and listen.
The blue-haired boy made a pleased smirk, at least as pleased as his blank face allowed. "It happens every midnight, an error within the world of reality and idealism that can only happen to the fourth-stage victims of Apathy Syndrome and those who have the potential."
The girl made an 'O' with her mouth. "What stage am I now?"
"Almost four."
"What time is it now?"
"Eleven past fifty."
Nice. "Keep going." The girl waved goodbye to her blurry reflection on the tides, it responded by vomiting blood.
However, Minato didn't and proceeded with checking his stuff. Turned out he only brought a hand gun and a switchblade with him, making him unsure whether it was sufficient or not. He shortly regretted Yukari not bringing the baseball bat with her; maybe it would make visible difference than two small knives. "Let's go back."
Yukari, now out of her contest of who would be more pissed with her fylgja, exclaimed in surprise, "What? No! I want to see this Glitch."
"You've seen it." He deadpanned, turning the engine of Mitsuru's motorcycle. "Those nightmares haunt you every time you sleep, don't they?"
If Yukari had heard him, she didn't show it, she kept her legs planted on the sand, refusing to leave from her spot. For once, everything made sense to her, her alive reflection, her insanity, her death. It composed a beautiful harmony for her hopeless life. She was shallow and she embraced that fact with a smile on her lips. "I've been waiting for this." Was this what he meant by 'accepting one's death'?
"What are you doing? Your pneuma is still low, don't even dare!" Minato shouted exasperatedly to her. The Glitch would happen in a minute and if she didn't get on, she'd be devoured. She hadn't accepted her death at all, she just gave up on it. "Get on!"
But why should she? Her parents were dead, her means were gone, and her life became miserable. What part of it would deserve to be spared? Yukari meekly kicked the sand into the tide, filling her fetch's mouth with it, killing it. Her eyebrows rose at the scene, "Whoa."
Then, in a split second, the world changed filter. Everything turned darker, the sky turned a sick shade of green, the moon turned a ghostly shade of yellow, and the ocean turned a daunting shade of scarlet.
Yukari was either too shocked or too awestruck to move. Finally, she muttered slowly, "So, this is Glitch." She searched for her reflection, but it wasn't there. She looked around, but it was nowhere to be seen. "Huh? Where's-"
Suddenly, Yukari's leg was pulled into the tide. She cried as she felt excruciating pain on her left leg. Thrashing on the shallow ocean of blood, she coughed and tried to get up as the sharp pain kept stinging her pitilessly. She hissed with clenched teeth, she was sure her leg was ruptured.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" A voice like her own asked.
Looking up, Yukari saw herself standing in front of her. Her impersonator, however, had fiery golden eyes instead of her brown ones.
It spat the sand and sneered at her with cruel delight at her state. "May I inflict more pain to you?" It was about to break Yukari's neck who was still lying on her stomach when it flew to the far end of the beach, screeching.
What the serious hell. Despite the shock, Yukari got up, ignoring the throbbing ache in her leg, her previous injuries on her hands were now starting to reopen. She could only stiffen her jaw as the red liquid of the ocean infiltrated the scars. After pushing the girl's copy quite far, Minato called for reinforcement through the device on the motorbike, and tossed the dagger whilst shouting to Yukari to get as far away from her copy as possible. "I can't, stupid! My leg's broken!" She yelled back angrily, not minding the dagger's existence at all.
For a moment, she wondered why she was angry if she had wanted to die.
Minato cursed under his breath. Her impersonator was coming straight up to her; he got no time to waste thinking of better ways to escape. Yukari was wounded, not only could she not flee, she also wouldn't fight now. True enough, she only stared at her grinning copy as it pierced her hand with the dagger Minato had thrown earlier. The blue-haired boy then kicked its leg hard enough to break it, it cried out in pain, and knocked Yukari out cold.
Silently, Minato wondered why he saved someone who didn't want to be saved.
''
Bear with me, myself. And wow, does this software aid so much. Actually, how do you use '—' and '–'? Am I doing it right? Oh, and we'll have Yukari be valued next chapter. I have it typed a few days ago, but my sister was persistent, so here I am outside the house at 3:17 AM with the stars hovering like the unreachable spots they are. Is that Saturn, right there? …Nah.
Thanks for your support: Tatsuya Goddamn Suou and Fireminer!
So, kind readers, any thought?
04/17/2016 ~NollyLvn
