Disclaimer: Nothing is owned by me except the OC.
- 1st POV -
If there is one word I would describe my situation, the that word would be "disappointed".
Well, maybe also "boring", but I have a feeling that won't be the case for much longer.
"I guess those are our new neighbors?"
"That they are, kiddo. Seems like they finally decided to move in." was the response of the person standing next to me as we looked at the people unloading the trucks from some moving company.
It all started as a regular summer holiday morning. Wake up around 9, get dressed, eat breakfast and see what the day brings. Overall, a pretty normal day for a 11 year old.
Currently, it was around 11 a.m. as we looked at the people moving all the furniture into the house next to us. The house was very similar to our house here in England, which was basically a traditional English house with a pretty big backyard.
"Do you know who is actually moving next to us?" I asked the person next to me as we just continued to look at the people doing their jobs, but no sights of our future neighbors.
"Hehe, of course we know. There isn't anything that can happen in this place that I won't know about."
Of course she would know about anything happening here. If there is anything major happening in this town, then she would be one of the first to know. In the situations where she isn't the reason anything major didn't happen.
Let me introduce you to my grandma, Elizabeth Ainsworth, the biggest liar, cheater and overall deceiver in this part of England. Hell, maybe even England overall.
She started living with us a few years ago since she had to either move to a retirement home or live with a guardian. And she made it very clear she didn't intend to be put into any sort of home.
For a old lady she sure knew how to make her point clear.
Anyway, she started to live with us mostly so she could have more freedom in her daily activities seeing as mom and dad spent most time at work. Her only real concern was looking after me, which isn't exactly a big deal seeing as I proved to my parents that I'm more than capable of taking care of myself.
So, basically we keep each other company during the day. I go to school while she does her things and when I get back, we just hang out till my parents get back.
Honestly, she is a better company then most kids in school. Sure, I could (reluctantly) hang out with them from time to time, but there is just this ... connection between me and grandma that makes us such good buddies. Not to mention that kids can be pretty annoying at this age.
Which is the reason why we both have no problem on spying on our future neighbors moving.
"If the grapevine is correct, and it better be, then we have a small Japanese family in our hands. One husband, one wife and one tomboyish looking daughter. The husband apparently got a job here, so that is why they moved."
"Sounds like a normal reason for moving." I muttered as I observe the stuff they were taking out off the truck, hoping to see something interesting. So far, just boxes and basic stuff.
"I never said I heard interesting stuff about them." Grandma said as we continued to look at them from the second floor window in silence.
"Do you think we will get to see them today or will we have to wait a few more days?" I asked in boredom. Honestly, seeing them would be the most interesting thing happening today, even though the day had just barely started.
Grandma was quiet for a few seconds before giving her answer. "I think we will see them today. I mean, they are already unloading their stuff into their house. It only makes sense that they are present when that is happening or is finished."
I just nodded my head at the answer and went back to observing.
It was starting to get a little boring seeing as nothing new was happening, just moving men going in and out of the house doing their job . We couldn't even see the stuff they were carrying except the furniture, most of their belongings where inside boxes.
"I think I will go watch TV. Call me when something happens grandma." I was about to move from the window when grandma grabbed me by the shoulder.
"Wait a sec kiddo. Seems like something interesting is about to happen." said grandma as she pointed her finger at a approaching car on the road. "Something is telling me those might be our neighbors."
"Is it just a feeling or do you know for a fact that is them?" I asked her as I watched the car.
"Well, its either that or it's just someone passing through. But seeing how it is slowing down, I can bet on it that its them." grandma said with complete certainty as she grabbed the curtains and closed them, but left a small crack for us to look through. "Just in case so they don't see us."
"Good thinking." I said as we watched with more focus as the car parked on their driveway, just in front of their garage. I was never good with cars, but I could tell that this one was pretty good.
And the moment of truth finally came. The family, our future neighbors (and probably grandma's future victims), exited the car and we could finally see them with our own eyes.
If there was one thing I could describe them as, it would be basic. Guess I had expected a little to much from them.
The father and mother looked like a normal Japanese couple. Well, the mother was much prettier than your usual woman, but that is not the point there. The daughter on the other hand really looked like a damn boy.
"Holy crap, they weren't kidding when they said the girl looked like a boy." muttered grandma as we peeked through the curtains at our neighbors. Her gaze moved to the things they started to carry out of their car. "And from the stuff they have, its seems they are quit packed in their wallets."
True to her words, the things they were carrying out of their car were maybe less in amount, but they really looked expensive and valuable.
But that was not my main focus of attention. My main focus were on two things.
First was the odd feeling of having seen the girl somewhere. It was more like her face seemed familiar for some reason, but I just couldn't put my finger on from where.
The second one was a more stranger thing. Or better yet, a feeling I was getting. You see, the father was just carrying what appeared to be ... some sort of sword looking decoration. And for some reason that decoration gave me a strange feeling.
It was not that it made me sick in the stomach, but more like ... don't know how I can describe it, but think of those moments when you want to sneeze or burp, but said action doesn't happen. It just stays stuck in your throat.
Overall, not a pleasant feeling. Which disappeared the moment the sword decoration was taken into the house.
"You think we should go there and introduce ourselves today or wait a day or two?" I asked as I tried to still figure out from where the girl seemed familiar.
"Maybe later today. You know, when they have their stuff sorted out and we don't interrupt their work." said grandma as she moved away from the window and went to the leave the room. "In the meantime, I will go downstairs and watch some TV. Maybe we have luck and there is actually a good movie."
"Call me if there is a good movie on. I will observe them a little more." The only response I got from her was a thumbs up before she left the room.
Honestly, I was hoping I could just get some sort of hint on from where I had seen that girl that seemed so familiar to me for some reason.
After a couple more minutes of observing and searching through my memories, I simply decided to give up on my task. It was not worth the headache. I probably would see her and her family everyday in the future anyways so I have plenty of time to figure this sense of dejá vu I had.
Maybe I could even get some sort of clue as to where I landed exactly.
As I passed through the hallways of my house, I came across a decorative mirror we had and I looked at my reflection.
There I could see my shoulder long black hair and dark brown eyes while my skin was a fair tone. Currently I was wearing a dark colored, long sleeved shirt and grey pants. Well, most of my clothes were in dark colors because I was very fond of them as they could fit with almost any other color and make a good match.
All in all, I could say I was pretty satisfied with my current looks. The same could be also said about my current name.
Matthew Ainsworth had a pretty nice ring to it, but most people just called me Matt for short. It's particularly nice when you learn that my parents didn't name me after the saint, Matthew the Apostle, but rather after the actor Matthew McConaughey. I swear when I thought about them saying that to the doctor who helped at my birth, I almost burst out of laughter. Well, just a small laugh came out, but the point still stands.
Overall, there were no real complains about this life. Except one.
Even after 11 years of living here I still couldn't understand how or why, but I was experiencing what some people saw as a reincarnation.
I'm pretty sure this was more along the lines of an Isekaied reincarnation rather then a „normal one" though and I had a few evidences to back that theory up.
First was the matter that the current was a year that long passed in my previous life. Sure, this could also mean that I was reincarnated in a past time or something like that, but I highly doubt it.
Second was something I noticed about some people. There were a few people who looked far better than most supermodels, as if they were sculped by Gods or something. Keep in mind I'm talking about normal civilians here.
And the final piece of evidence here would be the strange feeling I was getting from the sword decoration of our new neighbors. There was no chance that was a coincidental feeling, people don't normally feel like that by looking at some random object. Something tells me that my feeling of knowing the girl was also a key in finding out exactly where I landed and when I find out that, I will know what I would need to do from now on.
Overall, it all depended on finding out from where I knew the girl.
"Matt, come down! They are about to show all of the Rush Hour movies in a row!" came grandma's scream from the living room downstairs which immediately had my attention.
The girl's identity can wait for today. Something far more amusing came up.
No matter which world, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker were a comedy duo worth diamonds.
- A few months later -
You know that feeling when you make a choice you think is pretty good, but start regretting it some time after?
Yeah, I was currently experiencing that.
A few months passed since the new neighbors, the Shidou family, moved next door and it didn't take long before they became good friends with my family.
The mother and father, Maria and Touji, were pretty nice people if not a little bit eccentric. They got along with my parents, Charlotte and Richard, just great to the point that they started even going out for dinner on multiple occasions.
Which meant that during those nights my grandma and I were stuck with their daughter, Irina.
I was sure I heard her name from somewhere before. The thing was I didn't remember from where I heard her name. Overall, while I now knew her name, that didn't help me in finding out where I was.
And that was not the reason I regretted my choice. On the contrary, I was happy I at least had a small clue on finding out the world I was in.
The reason I was regretting it was rather simple.
"What kind of movie do you think she will bring?" asked Irina as she sat next to me on the sofa in the living room. We were currently waiting for grandma to find a good movie.
Our parents went out again tonight and grandma decided to have a movie night seeing as Irina will sleep at our house again. It was basically a weekly occurrence at this point.
"If we are lucky, something which won't make you rant like last week." I answered as I looked through one of mothers magazines we had lying on the table, mostly to relieve my boredom while we waited.
At my answer, Irina adopted a rather adorable pout. "The movie was pretty offensive if you ask me."
At that, I could only give her a blank look. "In what way was Bruce Almighty offensive?"
This was the reason why I was regretting my choice of befriending her. Sure, she was a pretty good friend and I got along with her just fine, but, holy fuck, was this girl too attached to her religion.
I have no problem with that, be as religious as you want to be, but don't try to force it down my throat. It gets really annoying really quick.
"You do realize that was just a comedy? The type of movie that shouldn't been taken seriously." I asked her as she only looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, so?" was her only response.
I really hopped she would loosen up a little bit in the future, because if she stays the way she is now ... I don't think my decision on making friends with her would end up being worth it.
Just as I was about to respond, grandma walked into the living room holding a DVD case with a cover I knew all to well.
"After some thoughts, I think I found a movie that would suit the tastes of all three of us." Granny said, giving a small judgmental look to Irina and with the said girl not even noticing it.
"So, which one is it for tonight?" I asked her more for Irina's sake as I knew very well which movie she took. Also, it was always nice seeing grandma hyping up a good movie.
"Glad you asked, kiddo. This movie will no doubt become a classic in a few years. This movie is the peak of comedy for all generations. Not to mention this movie is highly educational." said grandma as she started to put the DVD in the player.
"In what way educational?" asked Irina as grandma moved to sit on her armchair next to us and taking a handful of the popcorn we had prepared, along with other snacks and drinks.
"In how to survive a horror movie like situation. You know, in case you are being stalked, you are being followed." she said as she shoved the popcorn in her mouth. "The movie is full of those advices."
"I see. Then it must really be a really good movie." said Irina in a understanding tone as she turned her attention to the movie that was about to start.
In the meantime, I was trying my hardest not to laugh at the lies grandma feed to Irina. Sure, the part about becoming a classic and being the peak of comedy were true to some extend, but the fact that the movie was in any way educational was just one big fat lie. I knew for a fact that Scary Movie was in no way supposed to teach you how to survive any horror movie situation.
But hey, you won't hear me complaining, it's a good movie and if all goes well, a more fun Irina will be born from this, a good thing in my book.
All that I had to do was lean back and enjoy the night.
- The next morning -
If there was one feeling I enjoyed, it was waking up knowing I had no mayor chores to do. No assignments to prepare for, no essays to turn into and no time pressure for school stuff.
That feeling of not having any pressure from any work and/or school was one of the best feeling I had.
It was your usual Sunday morning as I did my morning routine considering of waking up, going to the bathroom and changing out of my pajamas. Making my way downstairs to the kitchen/dinning room, I spotted grandma sitting at the table, newspapers in her hand and a cup of coffee on the table.
"Morning, grandma." I greeted her as I walked to the kitchen and started preparing my own morning drink. Nothing special, just a nice cup of cocoa with marshmallows.
"Morning, kiddo." she returned the greeting, not taking her eyes away from the newspapers. "Seems like we are the first one awake. But considering the others in this house, it is not a surprise. Hell, I'm surprised the girl even managed to sleep from how much she ended up laughing after the movies."
I couldn't help but chuckle at the events of last night. It turned out that Irina was much more welcome to dark humor that I initially thoughts. Sure, at first she was pretty offended at some jokes, but later on she did start to enjoy it. Some moments even had her falling from the couch from laughter. In fact, she enjoyed it so much that we watched all both movies in a row. Can't wait till the other three come out.
"Can you blame her? That kind of humor was completely new to her, so of course she would have a small shock at the start." I said as I poured the cocoa in my cup. "She did accept it and start enjoying it pretty fast though."
"It is a kid thing. They will start enjoying something if they see other kids enjoying." she was silent for a moment. "I think."
"Either way, I hope those movies helped her loosen up a little bit." I said as I moved to sit at the table across from grandma. "We both know she could use different types of enjoyment other than the ones her parents taught her."
"Can't agree more on that." said grandma as we heard someone walking down the stairs.
Turning to the dining room entrance, we saw a man in his mid thirties with black hair and blue eyes dressed in his pajamas and a dark blue bathrobe. Currently he was rubbing his eyes as he made his way to the coffee machine.
That man was my father, Richard "Rick" Ainsworth. He worked as a ... honestly, I had no idea what his job was except that he wore suits and he had quiet a nice salary. The same could be said for my mother, seeing I didn't know what her job also was.
"Rough night, huh?" asked grandma as dad finished pouring his coffee and took a really long sip from it. As he finished it, he was silent for a moment.
"You could say that. We ended up driving all the way to London for dinner. And after dinner, Maria and Ava wanted to go around town sight seeing." he said as he took another sip of his coffee and joined us at the table. "Sure, the drive to London wasn't that long, but driving in the middle of the night is never a fun experience."
No wonder he was so tired. Being dragged around town by your wife and her friend and then end up driving in the middle of the night back home all tired. Well, at least he had Toji as company and to share his pain.
"Sounds like an exciting night you had. Plan on repeating it?" asked grandma with a glint of mischief in her eyes that she usually had when she was messing with someone.
"If possible, no way. The walking around town isn't as exhausting as the drive back home." said dad as he looked at the two of us. "Speaking of last night, what did you three end up doing? We heard Irina laughing in her sleep from the guest room."
"Oh you know, just your regular movie night." answered grandma with a innocent smile as I hid mine behind my cup. But dad knew us more than enough to know that was a lie.
"Be real with me Elizabeth, what did you guys ended up watching?" he asked with a tone full of curiosity. While he knew that grandma was a troublemaker, he and mom knew there were still some lines she wouldn't cross.
"Fine, if you are that interested. We ended up watching Scary Movie." answered grandma after a moment of silence.
Dad only raised a eyebrow at that. "Scary Movie? You only watched that one movie?"
"Well, that was the plan. But the girl liked the movie so much we ended up watching both of them." answered grandma as dad looked at her with wide eyes before turning his gaze to me.
"Is she telling the truth?" dad asked me as I simply nodded my head causing him to release a impressed whistle. "Never imagined her liking those kind of movies. I mean, Toji and Maria are good friends and all, but I'm pretty sure they overdid a little with their raising methods."
"Trust me, it came as a surprise to the both of us. And besides, it may help her to develop a more open minded view on some stuff." said grandma as she returned to her newspapers.
"True on that part." said dad as silence filled the dinning room as we just sat there.
"20 pounds saying when Irina comes down she will scream "Wazzuupp" as a greeting?" grandma suddenly blunted out as me and my dad looked at each other.
"You want to do it?" dad asked me as I shook my head.
"She only makes bets in which she knows she will win, so no. I'm not taking it." I answered as grandma gave me a proud look. I did still possess some common sense, after all.
"Then count me also out." wise choice, dad. Never take a bet with grandma unless you are 100% sure you're winning or ready to lose money.
"That reminds me: should we wait for mom and Irina to wake up for breakfast or should we go wake them up?" I asked as dad thought about it for a moment.
"You two hungry?" he asked me and grandma. We simply shook our heads as an answer. "Then let them sleep. A grumpy woman is a pain to deal with." he was silent for a second before turning to grandma. "No offense, Elizabeth."
She simply shrug her shoulders. "Can't deny it, so none taken."
After a few minutes of idle chit chat, we heard someone walking down the stairs. Turning to the entrance, a woman in her mid thirties enter the dinning room.
That would be my mother, Ava Ainsworth. She possessed short brown hair and dark brown eyes. Like my father, she was dressed in her pajamas and a pale blue bathrobe. Unlike my dad however, she was in a more happier mood.
"Good morning everyone." she greeted us as she poured herself some coffee and leaned on the kitchen island. "Wonder seeing you all awake before me."
"Well, you did have a long night. You probably needed the rest." said grandma as she passed the newspapers to dad. "From the things we heard, you and Maria had one hell of a night."
"Yeah, it was pretty nice. You need to see how nice London is during the night. It is one of the most beautiful things I've seen." she fantasized a little before a idea came to her head. "Maybe we could make a double family weekend in London with the Shidou's."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea actually. You, Elizabeth, Maria and Irina can have a girls night out. Me, Toji and Matt can have a man's night out." answered dad. Well, a trip to London does seem very appealing ...
"If we are already talking about trips, why not extend it beyond London?" said grandma as we turned her attention to her. "Maybe a trip abroad? I heard Naples is pretty nice around this time of the year."
Mom and dad just gave her a deadpan stare at the suggestion, knowing full well what she was aiming at.
"Like we told you a hundred times before: if you want to go to Italy, just ask us and we will pay you for that trip." said mom as she rubbed her eyes in annoyance.
Grandma is dead set on visiting some places in Italy. Apparently those are one of the better places she visited while traveling the world.
"And I would taken you up on the offer if only I knew how to speak Italian. But, sadly, I don't know so I need someone of you to go with me and act as my translator."
"As much as the idea of traveling Italy with you sounds great, you have to count me out. I can't speak even a word of Italian."
Interesting fact: reincarnation doesn't automatically mean you get to keep all of your memories from your previous life. And even if it did, I was pretty sure I didn't knew Italian.
"Anyway ..." mom said in a more stern tone, stopping any further discussion about grandma's travel ideas. "What mom said isn't exactly to bad. A family holiday with the Shidou's could be fun. Maria and I do get along. Same can be said for Rick and Toji. Not to mention Matt and Irina are clearly BFF's."
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Now hold on for a second there! 'Best friends forever' is pushing it a little to far ma'am.
"We are not best friends, we are just good friends. There is a difference." I said as all three of them looked at me amused.
"If you say so~" replied mom with her voice dripping with amusement. I knew there was no point in arguing with them, seeing as this is just a loosing battle. "Either way, we could speak with them and see what they think about it. Who knows, might even end up being better than we think."
The next few minutes were spent in talking about places we could visit as the last person in this house decided to join us in the dinning room.
"Good morning, everyone!" Irina was as cheerful as ever as she basically skipped in the room. She was dressed in the same clothes as yesterday seeing as if she needed a new change of clothes, her house was directly next to ours.
"Should have taken the bet." dad whispered to himself as Irina simply joined us at the table sitting next to me, mom already preparing her own cup of cocoa.
"Good morning, sweetie. How was the movie night with Matt and Elizabeth?" asked mom as she gave Irina her cup of cocoa, who happily started drinking it.
"It was great! I don't think I ever laughed as much as I did last night!" said Irina as she laughed. "Some moments are still stuck in my head!"
"Surprised you aren't bothered with the humor from it." said grandma with a surprised look. "I mean, just the first movie had a lot of dark humor in its self. And you ended up watching 2 of them."
Irina gained a slight sheepish smile. "Yeah, it did bother me at first. Like, really bother me. But, as the movie passed, I started to understand why you two liked that type of movie." She turned her attention to me and I could have sworn her eyes were sparkling. "Can we go and watch the third movie when it comes out?! If those it anything like the first two, then we need to see it. Maybe by then I will even understand more of the jokes!"
Oh right. She didn't exactly understand all of the jokes and mostly laughed at the things I also laughed. Well to be fair, most of the stuff she didn't understand was stuff you needed a adult mind.
Which is kind of hypocritical coming from me, seeing as I never really became an adult. And never intent to.
"I guess we could." I answered, casting a look at grandma. She understood my message and just firmly nodded her head.
"Yes!" Irina cheered as he basically latched onto me in a rather tight hug. She really turns into a cuddle bug when she gets happy.
"You do realize that you will need a parent accompanying you two to watch it?" asked mom in an amused tone.
"I can accompany them." both grandma and dad answered at the same time, causing mom to shake her head in amusement.
Yup, another typical morning for the Ainsworth family. And our little guest.
You know, as much as I'm kind of disappointed that this didn't end up like the reincarnation stories I used to read, I was a little glad I at least have somewhat of a normal life.
Now all there left for me is to find out where exactly I was and a part of me would have some peace.
- A few months later -
"I still can't believe you were sent to the principals office for sleeping in class." said Irina as she looked at me with concern. Can't blame her since I looked pretty much like a zombie at this point.
Currently I was walking home from school with Irina at my side. It was a normal occurrence at this point that we went to school and left school together unless.
And the reason why I looked like a zombie was rather easy to explain: I was having trouble getting a good nights sleep. Well, it was more like I could fall asleep and stay asleep, but I would wake up feeling drained and not rested at all.
It was happening almost over a week and I was really starting to think I would need professional help.
"You still have trouble with your sleep?" asked Irina with clear concern in her tone. Ever since I even started showing the smallest symptoms of my tiredness, she was trying to help me with different methods.
Even if most of those methods considered of praying for me and asking God to help me, it was a really nice gesture from her.
"More or less." I answered to her. "It's like, I can fall asleep and stay asleep but I can't rest at all. I feel drained of my energy."
Irina at that nodded in understanding. "Have you been thinking of going to the doctor and see if they have a solution?"
"It was actually on my mind for some time already. Even the principal said I should go and see a doctor after I explained him my situation." as I said that, I fished out a piece of paper from my pants pocket. "In fact, he understood my situation and even gave me the next day free so I can go and see a doctor."
As I said that, Irina's concerned look turned into one of suspicion. "You don't plan on just taking the week free and not going to the doctor?"
Her suspicion was understandable seeing as I would take every chance to get a free day of school. Not sure if it was because I was just lazy or because most of the subjects were pretty boring for me.
"If the situation was different, I probably would have done it. But, seeing as that would do more harm than good, I will just go and see what the doc has to say. I had to call mom from the school office and explain the situation to her. She said she will call some doctor for a appointment this week." I said as I gave Irina a grateful look. "That reminds me: thanks for walking me home."
After the principal gave me free, he also gave Irina free so she could walk me home just to be sure I get home safely. Usually they would call my parents, but seeing as I lived nearby, there was no need, especially since they were both were at work.
"Don't sweat it, Matt. That is what BFF's do."
Yeah, I started to accept we were friends. Took me a good while, but it happened. Especially since she would start calling us BFF's.
"Besides, I got to take the rest of the day free, so it is a small win from my side."
There was also the fact that Irina was starting to become more laid back that she was before. She was still a huge believer in her faith, but she was now more open minded about things in general.
"Trained you well I have, Young Padawan." I said mimicking Yoda's voice as I nodded sagely. "But seriously, thanks for walking me home. I'm pretty sure I would have fallen asleep in the middle of the road."
"You even look like your about to fall asleep any moment." said Irina as we neared our houses. "So, what is your plan for today? You plan on trying to sleep or do you have something else in mind?"
"I will probably immediately go to bed. I'm too tired to think of doing anything else." I said with a sigh. "Unless mom or dad managed to get a doctor appointment immediately today, then I would go to him first. But I doubt it that would happen."
Irina only nodded at my answer. We were now right in front of my house. "Well, this is it. You need me to walk you to the door or are you sure you can walk by yourself to there?"
"I can probably walk by myself there. Thanks again for walking me back."
"No problem. You just try and fix your sleeping problem. I will even pray to God to help you." Irina said as she turned to her own house. "I will probably visit you tomorrow after school to see how you are."
With each of us sending a goodbye, we walked our separate ways to our own houses. Entering my own house and taking off my shoes and jacket, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
It was grandma. And she was carrying a glass filled with a yellowy liquid, which she was stirring with a spoon.
"There you are. Ava called me and told me what happened." she said as we entered the living room and sat at the couch. "How are you feeling?"
"Have a feeling I will fall asleep any moment."
"Just as expected. Good thing your grandma has a possible solution for your sleep problem." she said as she presented the glass to me. "Drink this."
I didn't say anything as I only gave her a suspicious stare. I know she wouldn't do anything harmful to me (on purpose), but I knew for a fact that when she tries to help it doesn't end up all well.
I responded after a moment of silent staring. "I think I'm good, but thanks for the offer."
"Trust me on this one. This is just a simple sleeping tablet powder mixed with water. Nothing strange to it. I even picked the one with good taste." she explained as I switched my gaze from her to the glass.
After a moment of thinking over the choices, I released a heavy sigh as I took the glass and gave it a sniff. "Well, at least it has a nice smell. Hope the taste is as equally good."
And with that I drank the whole thing on ex. A mistake on my mind seeing as while the taste was not that bad (lemon and orange I believe), it had a fizzling taste just like a carbonated drink. The same type of drink I didn't really like to drink.
I was pretty sure I looked like I just sucked a lemon. "Ugh! You could have told me this was fizzy."
"You should have expected it." she said as she shook her head. "Your sleeping problem is really starting to take a toll on you, huh?"
"A huge toll." I released a yawn. "I think I'm going to sleep right away before the tablet starts working."
"You do that. I will check on you later see if everything is alright." she said as I left the room, but not before she called me once more. "You want me to wake you up or not?"
"Nah, just leave me sleep. Just checking on me from time to time is good." with that being said, I went to my bedroom and after changing my clothes, immediately went to bed.
It didn't take long for me to enter the sweet, sweet land of dreams.
- ? -
I have no idea how long I was asleep, but I can easily say it was the best sleep I had during the past few weeks. I actually felt rather well rested. Like all the fatigue I had was all gone.
Guess the pills grandma gave me really did work.
I opened my eyes and blinked away the sleep in them, I realized that I wasn't facing my celling, but rather the clear open sky.
Immediately standing up from the place I was sleeping on (it was just a bunch of leaves gathered together to make a make-shift bed), I looked around to see I was in some sort of forest.
It was a really beautiful forest with some really big trees, but those thoughts were pushed into the back of my mind as I tried to figure out where exactly I was.
"Alright Matt, deep breaths. Just take deep breaths." I muttered to myself as I tried to calm myself down, breathing in and out. I did it a few more times, just to make sure I was a little calm. "Lets go over the situation real quick:: I went to sleep after grandma gave me sleeping tablet powder and after a unknown amount of time, I woke up in some forest."
I sat under on the nearby trees and began to think about the situation. After what I assume were few minutes, I came up with only one plausible explanation.
The tablet powder grandma gave me wasn't normal sleeping tablet powder, but rather some of her own personal ... 'medicine'. Which in result caused me to hallucinate and/or dream of being in this forest.
If she has done that on purpose or if it was on complete accident is yet to be found out.
Well, might as well do something and enjoy it while waiting till those effects wears off.
Standing up from the place I was sitting, I began walking in a random direction, taking in all the sights around me.
The place was really a sight to behold. The clean small rivers and waterfalls, the giant trees, the intact grass and cleanings. From time to time, there would be fallen trees standing in my way, which I easily crawled under or climbed over.
Overall, the place was like some sort off national park with how natural and devoted of human touch it seemed. But, while it may be devoted of any human touch, it sure wasn't devoted of animals residing in it.
Rabbits, foxes, squirrels and other forest living animals were running around doing their own things. Some would stand and look at me before being on their own way again.
In the rivers, different type of freshwater fishes were lazily swimming along the rivers current. They were sometimes scared away by the wild ducks living near the rivers or the beavers if they swam to near their dam.
Different types of birds and flying insects would from time to time fly above me or next to me, all going on their own way. While the insects would just straight fly past me, the birds would spend a second to perform small tricks in the air.
I continued to walk and take in all the sights the place offered, especially the ones related to animals. I will admit that I'm a animal fan. Not on the crazy levels like some activists, but more on the normal one.
Not sure what started that love, but I do know that I spent a lot of time watching funny and/or adorable videos of different animals. One of the better ways to pass the time if you ask me.
As I continued to walk, I came across a fallen tree. Like the other ones in the forest, it was pretty huge. Seeing that walking around it would take me to long, I decided to simply climb over it.
Which proved to be a mayor task considering I was still in the body of a 12 year old and I couldn't exactly reach the top of the fallen tree.
After some moment of struggling I managed to climb atop the tree. Honestly, I can't wait hitting puberty. All the emotional drama that comes will be worth it when I'm not as tall as a dwarf.
As I tried to position myself so I can safety jump from the tree, a sudden cry of what I presume was alert and/or surprise. Which in turned caused me to do the one thing I tried to avoid.
And that is falling face first onto the ground below.
And let me tell you: it hurt as much as you would expect.
"Ugghhh" was the sound of pain coming from me as I slowly pushed myself off the dirt and held my nose in pain. I was expecting to see some blood coming from it, but there was nothing.
Turning around to look from where the sound came from, I heard some random noises before it all went quiet.
Standing up and dusting myself off and making sure I didn't have any major injuries, I tried to climb the tree again to see exactly what made those noises but all I saw that there was nobody there.
"What made those sounds is either really good at hiding or I'm starting to go crazy from the sleep depravation." I said to myself as I looked around. There was no trace of any animal being there.
As I continued to look around, the sound of grunting was heard following the sound of the three being climbed from the other side. Slowly making my way to the edge of the tree, I peaked over the corner of it and let me tell you, I don't think I was ever surprised as I was in this moment.
The creature that was trying to climb the tree was relatively small, maybe waist length when compared to an adult person. It looked almost like a small humanoid teddy bear completely covered in fur. It was also wearing some sort of makeshift hood and sacks, along with what I assumed was a spear on its back.
It didn't take long for me to realize exactly what that teddy bear looking creature was. It was a fucking Ewok. The cutest creature from the Star Wars verse. Right after Baby Yoda, of course. These are also the same creature that are known of being able to kill fully trained military soldiers.
Granted, those soldiers are Stormtroopers, but the fact still stands.
"What the hell did my grandma give to me?" I asked myself as the Ewok hear me and looked at me. He was still clinging to the tree, so there was a small distance between our positions.
Then the Ewok said something in what I presumed was their native tongue seeing as I couldn't understand a word it said and outstretched its hand to me.
I think I understood what it wanted as I grasped it hand and pulled him atop the tree. The Ewok let go of my hand and decided to sit next to me. He then turned to me and said something again and offering his hand to me.
"Um" I was a little confused at what exactly he wanted, but decided to go along and shook his hand/paw, which was really fluffy. "I'm Matt."
At my greeting the Ewok said again something while pointing to himself. I had a feeling he was trying to introduce himself, but duo to the language barrier I didn't understand what it was saying.
Seeing my confused look, the Ewok pointed to the ground on the side I came from. He then stood up, moved to the edge of the tree and simply jumped. Looking over, I saw he managed to land perfectly on his feet as he signaled me to come.
Deciding to take a more safer approach, I slowly crawled down the tree till I was standing next to him. He then proceeded to take him spear and started writing something in the dirt.
"W-I-C-K-E-T." I spelled after each letter. Was kind of surprised he knew how to write in English tho. After he finished writing, he tapped the word he wrote and pointed at himself. "Wicket. I take it that is your name, huh?"
At my question the now named Wicket nodded his head and said something which I again didn't understand. Apparently he could understand what I was saying, but not the other way around. He then proceeded to take out a apple from his sack and offered it to me.
"For me?" I asked him. He nodded his question as I took the offered apple. Wicket then took another apple from his sack and started happily eating it, which I soon also did.
"Holy shit, this is a good apple." I said in amazement at the sweet taste of the apple. It was honestly way better than the ones we ate. Wicket nodded in agreement as we continued to munch on our apples.
I know this was all probably caused by the thing grandma made me drink, but I can't say I regret drinking it. A nice forest walk, meeting a cute creature I though was only fictional and sharing an apple with it. Honestly, not a bad dream if you ask me.
As I was finishing the apple, my vision started to blur. Almost as if I was getting sleepy.
I leaned back on the tree as I slowly slid down till I was sitting. My vision was getting more and more blurry as the Ewok looked at me.
Darkness started to overtake my vision, but not before I saw the Ewok waving what I think was goodbye to me.
Before I completely lost consciousness, I heard the Ewok speak. But this time, I understood what he was saying.
"Bye-Bye."
- Matt's room -
"Come on Matt, wake up. We will be late."
The sound of my mother was the first thing I heard after my loosing consciousness in my dream. I, in response, groaned and turned over.
"You are doing it to soft. If you want to make sure he is awake just do THIS!"
And that was the sound of my dear grandma's voice as she violently opened the curtain, letting sunlight into my bedroom. And with the way my bed was placed, I received a healthy dose of sunlight directly to my face.
My reaction was rather normal as I groaned even loader and retreated bellow my sheets. But the damage was already done and I was pretty sure I was awake.
"We know you are awake, no need to pretend otherwise." said grandma as she removed the sheets from me. "What you slept, you slept. Time to get up, you have an appointment to go to, kiddo."
"Fine, fine. Just let me go to the bathroom." I mumbled in defeat. I knew from experience that when grandma starts taking matter in her hands, it can't end well. "Also, what did you mean by appointment to go to?"
"I pulled a few strings and got you an appointment today." answered mom as she clapped her hand. "Now, go to the bathroom and change your clothes. We can't be late."
With that being said, mom left the room, probably heading to the car. Grandma was about to follow her, before I called for her.
"Grandma, one question."
"Shoot." said grandma as I gave her a suspicious look.
"What exactly was in that glass you gave me yesterday?" I asked her as she gained a surprised look.
"Just normal sleeping tablet powder. I even went extra to the pharmacy to buy it for you." her expression turned annoyed. "Don't tell me you had one of the side effects."
"No. Its just ... I don't think I slept this good lately and wanted to know what exactly it was." I didn't fully lie. While my reason for asking was different, I will admit I felt more rested than the last few days.
"I see. Well, if it helped you, I guess it was worth it." said grandma as she began to leave the room, not before complaining. "With how much they costed, they should have cured you completely."
She left the room, leaving me all alone. I released a heavy sigh and started to change into new clothes.
Seeing that the dream wasn't a effect of the powder grandma gave me, makes me thing why it felt so real.
...
...
...
Meh, no need to overthink it now. I have other things to do. Besides, one weird dream can't really mean that much.
- That night, Toji's POV -
For the exorcist Toji Shidou, late night missions weren't anything new. But that didn't mean he was fond of them. Especially the ones where he would have to miss out on some good old family bonding time.
He was dedicated to his job, there are no questions about it. But sometimes he regretted how much time consuming it was.
"So, what is the situation?" he asked one of the exorcists that were waiting for him to arrive. They were currently in a forest near the town where he was stationed.
"I think it would be better if you saw it for yourself, sir." answered the exorcist as he pointed his flashlight to a nearby tree.
The sight that greeted Toji were two exorcist tied a little above the ground around a tree with a makeshift rope. From the puddle bellow them and their lifeless eyes, Toji knew that there was no saving them anymore.
"Do we know what or who caused it?" asked Toji, his tone all serious. "And someone bring them down from the tree."
"We tried looking around for any clues, but there wasn't anything to find." answered one of the exorcists as the others began taking down the deceased from the tree.
"That makes things much harder for us." said Toji as he began to think of their next course of action. His thoughts were cut short as one of the exorcist yelled out.
"Sir, you need to see this!" at the yell both Toji and the other moved to where the others brought down the deceased.
"What is the matter?" asked Toji as the exorcist pointed to one of the deceased.
"We checked on them to see if there were any clues, but we notice that they are lacking all their equipment."
At that statement Toji frowned. There was no way any good exorcist would forget about their equipment, especially if they went scouting and patrolling.
Which only left Toji with one thought.
"I think we have a bigger problem that we realized." said Toji as it caught the attention of the others.
"What do you mean with that, sir?" asked one of the exorcists in confusion.
"Tell me: from all the creatures we People of the Church face, how many of those creatures have took our own equipment from us?" at his question, the group looked among itself before one decided to answer.
"I believe none, sir." his answer was met with a nod from Toji.
"Exactly. Vampires, Werewolf's, Devils, Fallen Angels or any other creature has never plundered a fallen comrade." with that said Tojo's expression turned steel.
"I think what he have is the most dangerous type of creature: the one that can think."
If there was one type of creature that anyone would have problems with, it would be the ones that didn't let their pride and instincts take over. The ones that knew how to think and adapt to situations.
"We need to be on a tight look out for whatever did this. I will report this back to the Church. We also need to prepare funerals for our fallen colleagues."
With that being said, the group took their fallen comrades and began to return back to their base.
Little did they know that the culprits were closer than they realized.
And said teddy bears were all ready to defend their territory again from the invaders.
All for their King.
Well, here it is. It maybe took a few months, but I'm back at writing again. And what better way than with a good old DxD story.
Honestly, the reason I didn't write anything was mostly because of some other stuff distracted me. But, now that they are mostly done, I think I can return back to writing.
I don't want to keep this to long so I will go straight to the point and make some things clear:
1) Speaking of patient, I won't start immediately at canon. I want to write a few events before canon, mostly so I can expand and introduce on some stuff. So, be patient because everything important will be explained, just not at the moment its is introduced. After all, good stories need a few mysteries.
2) The story won't follow canon fully. Some things will be the same, but don't expect anything being the same as its in canon. Which is obvious considering its a reincarnation/isekai type of fanfict.
3) I will try not to bash someone. I might be a little bias on some character, but bashing will be hopefully avoided.
4) I will also try using the rule of "showing, not saying" as much as possible. Will be kind of hard, but I hope it will work out.
I believe those are all the important part I had to say. Some are maybe unnecessary, but better be save than sorry.
With that being said, I want to thank everyone who helped me get the motivation for writing again. So, go and check out Nightingale_Pledge and XanaShadow on Wattpad for their stories. You won't regret it.
Like always, leave a comment, follow and favor this story.
See ya all next time and stay healthy. Peace out.