Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo revengers.
02
Dear brother
Saori spent the first few nights after her 'arrival' crying her eyes out, waking up the following days with red, irritated rims around her lifeless eyes. She moved around at a sloth's pace, dragging her feet around and barely talking.
Luckily, her unusual situation granted the perfect excuse for her behaviour. Kurokawa Sato, her grandpa, was a very understanding man and probably he blamed her lack of 'energy' due to the fact that she had been abandoned by her mother.
He didn't demand answers and mostly let her do her thing.
Though that might be due to the fact he was clueless on how to raise a child... despite the fact that he had done it before, he seemed to have no idea how to take care of her besides making sure she was fed, clean and dressed.
Honestly, that was more than enough for Saori. She knew how to look after herself, though her new short stature gave her some limitations in what she could do.
More than once grandpa had to offer her a hand while doing minimal tasks so she won't end up hurting herself or him, for that matter. It was very humiliating to depend on someone else like this after being a relatively independent person before her accident- Her death.
That was something she was still trying to wrap her head around. Logically, it was impossible for something like this to happen. To die and somehow wake up in a fictional world in a body not her own and related to one of the supporting characters.
Yet here she was.
At least she had kept the same name as before.
But she'll have to admit that a part of her was still convinced that this was some sort of coma induced dream. A fantasy her damaged brain had created to make her transition to the after life easier.
'But why Tokyo Revengers of all things?...' She wondered, 'Out of all of the mangas I read- I should be glad I'm not in Attack on Titan or Jujutsu Kaisen. All I have to worry about here are delinquents. Human delinquents. I'll be fine.'
Not that she was planning on joining a gang or something... however... 'I have a lot of useful knowledge, and certainly, Takemichi could use a helping hand.' Saori mused to herself, tapping a chubby finger on her chin before she gasped, 'Emma!' how could I forget about what happened to her... and Izana too.' She couldn't and wouldn't let that happen.
Her small body shook with the intensity of her resolve, her mind too focused on the possible outcomes of her influence as she ignored how strongly she felt about two strangers she had barely interacted with.
With that thought in mind, Saori had decided to enjoy her 'new chance' at life as much as she could while she tried to keep safe the people she cared about. The worst thing that could happen was death, and she had already gone through that. A second time won't be a problem.
(...)
After the shock of being transported into an anime wore off and she came back to her senses, Saori realised that she had no idea of who she was supposed to be in this life. If she was in the body of a new character the universe had created for her or if she had taken the place of someone else.
The last name Kurokawa was directly related to the one Izana Kurowana and Ema, now probably named Emma Sano, the latter whom she just met days ago and dearly missed for some reason, (she still had to dwell on that but for now she had bigger things to worry about). Like where was Izana for example.
The information she had about this world proved useful to keep her family safe, Emma, and to an extent, Izana. Her mother, the child abandoner, could remain M.I.A for all she cared. Her siblings were her priority.
The problem was, she had no idea where either of them were. Yes, Emma was with the Sano family, but she didn't have their exact address to go look for her. All she knew was that grandpa Sano owned a dojo, but even that wasn't enough for her. Without the aid of a GPS or a smartphone, it was impossible to do so. At least for now.
Also, she couldn't just get in a taxi to get there, no sane person would drive around a small child, a small child with no money.
With her plan to reunite with her siblings put on an indefinite hold, Saori was forced to focus her attention elsewhere, so she decided to try to get more information about herself. About who she supposedly was.
She had pretended to be asleep and patiently waited until her grandpa left for work, to the bakery downstairs (which she found out he owned days ago) to put her plan in motion and snoop around the apartment.
Saori rummaged around every drawer she could find, turning the place upside down until she came across the manila folder the woman gave her before she left, which she had found hidden under her grandpa's mattress after she had slid her arms underneath it.
"Fuck yes!" She squealed with delight in a high pitch voice, letting the mattress fall with a soft thud before she sat in it, setting the folder onto her lap, anxious to learn the truth about herself.
"Let's see," she muttered, licking her lips, "Name, Kurokawa Sao- I already know that!" She growled, eyes darting down the page, "Mother, Kurokawa Kisa and my father's name is not listed." She hummed, "Not surprised about that one."
She kept on reading, finding her birth date, blood type, allergies and other useless information until she reached the last page where she found a letter directed to her grandpa.
'Finally something juicy!- wait... oh.'
Saori felt a pang of sadness bloom within her as she read her mother's letter. It briefly explained what had happened to her, to the original Saori Kurokawa.
'She died too.'
One of Kisa's clients had gotten violent with the woman, the reason hadn't been addressed in the letter so Saori could only guess the reason for his outburst.
'Maybe he wanted to leave without paying?' She thought as she read the rest of the letter, growing uneasy with each passing line.
Both Ema and her had started to cry out of fear, annoying the man, who Kisa described as being 'very drunk to measure his strength' when he pushed Saori aside, as she was the one crying louder. Her head had hit the nightstand with a dry thud and fell 'unconscious'.
He had intended to do the same to Ema when their mother finally reacted and got in the way, threatening to shoot him with a gun she kept in her purse for protection. He had left adamantly, refusing to pay and leaving them with an unresponsive Saori.
It only got worse from there and she had to take a moment to process what she just read. Images flashed across her mind, fragments of memories not her own played in her head like a movie. She couldn't tell if they were real or if she was trying to imagine what had happened. Saori closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to remain calm as flashes of her own death started to invade and mix with the previous one.
One moment she saw the face of the girl that killed her out of jealousy and the other she saw a lanky man, slurring insults at her as he grabbed her by the hair and-
Saori let out a pained moan, holding her head with her sweaty hands as a headache pounded her skull from the inside. She stayed still, humming a nursery rhyme her other mother used to sing before bed time, focusing on keeping the right tune as she did so and little by little, she calmed down. She was panting heavily, dazed and feeling sick to her stomach when she returned her attention to the letter on her lap.
'I need to know...'
Kisa had put her in the bathroom with all the intention of leaving her there for someone else to find as she waited for the morning to come so she could drop off Ema with her father's family when Saori had 'miraculously' woken up, calling for her.
That was it. There was no heartfelt goodbye, no apologies directed at her children, nothing that denoted that she was sorry about abandoning her children.
'She probably wrote this when I was busy staring at my reflection.' She concluded bitterly, resisting the urge to tear the letter into a million pieces and set it on fire.
Those were not the words of a devastated mother. They were her little pest, Saori and her siblings. Kisa seemed to care little for them beyond fulfilling their basic needs.
'Then why... Why do I feel so sad?' She wondered as a sob racked her body. Confused, she returned the letter to it's previous spot before she rubbed her eyes angrily, trying to force the tears to stop.
'Why do I feel like this?' She asked herself, annoyed with her strange reaction. 'I shouldn't be feeling like this! Goddamn it!'
A set of approaching footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. Her grandpa's worried face peered at her from the doorway as he took in her disheveled estate. He had no idea what had happened for his granddaughter to be like this. He had left her sleeping peacefully an hour ago!
He took a cautionary step inside his room, "Saori-chan?" He called gently, extending a hand to her, "Why don't you come with me? I'm going to teach you my super secret brownie recipe."
She stared back, filling the silence with her hiccups as she tried to calm down. She managed to give a weak nod before she accepted his hand and together, they made their way downstairs, to the Kurokawa bakery.
(...)
1 month later, Saori found herself standing on a pink stool in the kitchen, pressing down cookie cutters on the dough spread on the counter.
Her grandpa hovered around her, snapping photos with a disposable camera at every angle as he exclaimed how cute she looked with her chef outfit and covered in flour.
"You look too cute, Saori-chan!" He said as the white light of the flash blinded her momentarily.
Saori smiled, a blush covering her cheeks as she set the cookies on a tray next to her, "I'm done." She announced, stepping down the stool and wiping her hands on her apron, "What now?" She asked as grandpa snapped another photo.
He set the camera down on the counter and grabbed the tray she just filled, "Now we bake them." He opened the preheated oven and a heat wave hit Saori's face deepening her blush as she squatted near the open door.
Grandpa checked the temperature before he closed it, "Now we wait." He clapped his hands excitedly, grinning at his granddaughter.
"How long?"
He opened his mouth to answer when someone knocked on the door.
"I'll get it!" She jumped to her feet, dashing to the door before her grandpa could protest.
The visitor knocked again as she neared the door, "Coming!" She called as she jumped to reach the handle.
Her weight pulled the handle down, unlocking the door with a soft click as she took a step back to look up to whoever was on the other side, one hand resting on the door ready to slam it just in case.
A young man stood in front of her, looking bewildered at her as she frowned at his appearance. He had a weird hairstyle, most of his hair was combed to the front and styled in a triangle shape that covered part of his forehead. He wore a pair of distressed, classic jeans, a white shirt and a leather jacket. A classic delinquent outfit.
He smiled at her but it quickly disappeared when she spoke, glancing over her shoulder she loudly called, "Oji-chan, there's a weird boy at the door. Do I tell him to leave?!"
He gasped, clenching the spot where his heart was dramatically, "Don't say that!" He said, "I'm not a weird boy I'm-"
"Shinichiro-kun!" Grandpa greeted happily, coming from behind her, "Come in." He gently moved Saori aside so the boy could enter his home.
'Shinichiro Sano?! What is he doing here?'
He addressed her grandpa, "Hello, Kurokawa-san. Thank you for inviting me." He bowed respectfully.
Saori hid behind her grandpa's leg so she could scrutinize him properly. But with her chubby face and pouting lips, she looked utterly adorable doing so and the boy beamed at her.
He kneels to her height, a friendly smile plastered on his face as he extends a hand towards her.
Saori glanced at her grandpa, looking for approval and only when the older man nodded, she stepped out of her hiding spot, one hand still clenching the fabric of his pants tightly for reassurance.
'What is he doing here- he's not going to take me away is he?'
Shinichiro shook her hand, "I'm Sano Shinichiro, your older brother. Pleasure to meet you, Saori-chan."
"I only have a brother and his name is Izana." She retorted, studying his reaction. Her answer had been deliberate as she wanted to inquire about Izana without being too suspicious.
He hummed, still smiling, "You mean Izana-kun, right?" She nodded, "Are you worried about him?" Another nod from her, "Would you like to see him? And Emma-chan?"
Saori gaped, "Can I?" She said and turned to her grandpa, "Can I?!" She asked, hopeful.
He scratched his head, "I don't see why not. It would do Saori-chan good to see her siblings."
Shinichiro stood up, grinning, "It's decided then! We can visit them next week, okay?"
She nodded, still dazed with this turn of events. She hadn't expected to meet Shinichiro, like ever. But here he was, the answer to her pleas.
"Why don't you show Shinichiro-kun to the living room, Saori-chan. I'll make some tea so we can have it with the cookies you made for your brother." Grandpa said.
Shinichiro gushed at her, "You made cookies for me, Saori-chan? I'm honoured to have such a kind sister!"
Saori frowned, she hadn't baked them for him!
Looking to her grandpa for an answer, the old man only lifted a finger up to his lips, silently asking her to play along.
She turned to the boy then and her resolve to crush his silly fantasy crumpled at the genuine happiness he exuded as he looked at her with excitement.
Saori sighed, "The living room is this way." She started to walk and flinched when Shinichiro reached for her hand.
"You don't mind, right Saori-chan?" He lifted their joined hands.
"Whatever." She shrugged, blushing once again as they entered the living room and Saori guided him to the couch.
She plopped at a safe distance next to him so she could study him further.
'She looks so adorable! I want to pinch her cheeks.' He thought as he too, stared at her.
Saori huffed when she caught his gaze and promptly looked away, opting to set her gaze on the ground.
"You're a little tsundere, aren't you, Saori-chan?" He said, amused. "You and Emma-chan are so serious."
She huffed louder as her grandpa entered the area, carrying a tray that he set on the coffee table. He grabbed the steaming kettle and poured the tea, one for himself and the other for their guest. Grandpa had gotten a glass of milk for her that she gratefully took as she munched on the butter cookies.
'So good.' She complimented herself.
Shinichiro grabbed a cookie and a pair of doe eyes snapped in his direction. He peered at her expectant face through half open eyes, mouth open as he paused for dramatic effect before he took a bite, taking his sweet time to swallow.
He had to bite back a laugh at Saori's expression, she looked like a squirrel with her puffed cheeks, "It's delicious, Saori-chan. You're very talented!"
"Really?!" She asked, smiling, unaware that she had inched closer to his side.
He nodded, "Really." He affirmed going to grab another cookie and patted her head.
"Thank you, aniki."
Shinichiro coughed violently, head snapping in her direction, "Did you just call me aniki, Saori-chan?!"
She nodded, taking a sip from her glass to hide her smirk.
'I can see why he was loved by everyone.' Saori thought as she too, grabbed another one. 'I made a decision. Sano Shinichiro is going to live.'
(...)
Kjaskalala: Your english is fine don't worry about it! I was able to understand your review with no problem. English isn't my first language either so I can relate to your pain. Feel free to write in your first language if you feel more comfortable that way. I have no problem using a translator. Thank you for the lovely review :)
Anonima-Traumada: jeje también hablo español! Gracias por leer y por tu review. Que bueno que te gusto el primer cap.
Guest: That's okay guest, don't worry too much about it. I totally got your meaning xd 'Waw' is a feeling I can totally relate to when writing this.
PhoenyxOfTheMuses: Oc will be the first one to dance on Kisaki's grave lol I think the tags are something along the lines of 'help Takemichi save Mikey from darkness' and 'make all the boys fall in love with you by gifting them baked goods'.