Warning: Language

Note: (Located at end of the chapter.)

P.S.: Subway Surfers is a hard game to play. I either get hit by the train, try to jump the train and get ran over, or run into stuff twice and get caught.

Disclaimer: Fanfiction for a reason.


Interlude

I was only three years old when I met the first person who didn't treat me like a toddler.

Kumimi still cuddled and suffocated me with all her affections. She was afraid I'd feel neglected if she didn't properly shower me in kisses and hugs daily. Kaito, when home, would ruffle my hair and show me card tricks. The card tricks were actually entertaining at first but even they grew old in time.

It was a Tuesday evening and Kumimi had left for work. The apartment was actually quiet for the what seemed like the first time in years. Kaito had finally succeeded in putting Nanami to sleep. They both slept on Kumimi's futon. I sat on my futon in the quiet apartment scared to make too much noise unless they'd wake up. Without the TV on to distract me with the frequent Japanese commercials, I quickly became bored.

Japanese commercials are wild; if somebody tells you otherwise he or she hasn't seen some Japanese commercials. Especially the iPhone commercials from my original time. Never let it be said that Japanese people are sleep.

My mind wandered to what Tokyo was like outside of my small abode. Sure I've been to the store but Kumimi always went to the same places, taking the same routes. I wanted to see more of this old Japan. I wanted to compare it with the future version of Tokyo with the present one. Having no kind of electronics in the house except for the TV, rice cookers, and microwave hurt.

No computers or wifi to go with it.

At first, I'd thought being reborn in an anime would actually be interesting. I'm sure it would be if Kumimi and Kaito weren't so determined to confine Nanami and myself to this one place. I wanted to see more than what Kumimi was willing to show me and I happened to be tired of waiting for her to come around.

With my mind made up I had looked at the time on the alarm clock to verify the time. Kumimi wouldn't be back until around seven tonight from work. I pushed myself up onto my short legs; I only wobbled a little before widening my stance. My shoes were easy to quickly slip on in my rush. My heart beat fast with what I had planned, the thrill of what I would see.

If I was caught I'd be under server lockdown for probably a whole year knowing Kumimi. The rational part of my mind kept telling me that this was a horrible idea. Anything could happen to a small kid my size; my pathetically weak build wouldn't do much to stop a determined kidnapper. Those thoughts only made my heart beat a little faster, this time from fear.

Determined steps lead me to the spare keys to the apartment resting on the key holder behind the door. My short legs and pudgy fingers couldn't reach them. I had to get something to stand on to knock them down onto the floor. I made sure that the noise didn't wake either one of them.

Then I hightailed it out of the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind myself quietly. Our apartment room was on the second floor of the two-story complex. I had to be careful going down the stair or I'd risk injuries lies wouldn't be able to cover.

Once my shoe-clad feet touched the weathered concrete ground with spare grass peeking through I took off down the familiar sidewalks to the market place. My eyes drank in my surroundings with big round curious eyes once I'd reached the last familiar street. In the distance, I could see tall skyscrapers on my left but to the right, a huge Ferris wheel sat in the distance. The lights weren't visible because it was still daytime, but I couldn't help but want to see them so badly at that moment.

With foreign emotions I couldn't understand, I had decided to make a left turn down a less crowded street towards the skyscrapers. My eyes read the street names and I honestly tried to remember them. After a while of wondering and receiving some questioning looks from very few people I realized I was lost.

I hadn't panicked. I've been lost plenty times before in my past life, and even though my sense of directions wasn't mastery they would get me back to the apartment at least. Besides, I could always ask for directions back to the last familiar street I remembered once I decided to head back.

It registered somewhere in my mind that I had stayed gone a little bit too long. The sun wasn't too far down but the sky had turned beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and pink. I caught myself wondering what it would be like to fly up the clouds and sit on one; content to just watch the clear sky change colors slowly.

I forced myself from gazing at the sky. Just when I was about to ask a woman with a small boy around my age attached to her hip directions back to the market street I was familiar with I heard something interesting.

"Excuse me, sir! Can you understand me?!"

It was a woman's voice. Though what made it special was the accent and more so the language. The language I had first learned before moving to Japan from America with my parents.

English.

I found my body against my will turn to face the frantic stranger. She had on the typical businesswoman outfit, complete with the boring hairstyle to match. Overall she was easy to pass up, well if not for her thick country accent that is.

The man looked shocked that she'd ran up to him at all. He snapped out of it before looking around, becoming just as flustered as the obvious foreign woman.

My eyes lit up in amusement when he blatantly ditched her on the woman I was planning to ask directions from earlier. She did almost the exact same thing but with a more apologetic expression. I watched the woman be sent in circles beside a bench for a good solid minute before even I took pity on the poor woman. She was looking for directions to one of those scarily high skyscrapers.

I had walked up to the woman with no idea of the two pairs of curious eyes watching my back.

Putting on a nervous expression wasn't hard. I was nervous because if she made a scene about a three-year-old walking around by themselves and speaking English fluently, I'd run like a bat outta hell.

I had walked up behind the lady but kept distance between us. "Excuse me miss," I said clearly, naturally falling back on my more comfortable choice of language. I took to English like fish to water.

When I was ignored or maybe unheard because of the compilation of noises around me, I blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Excuse me, miss!" I shouted in English this time to ensure I got her attention. Though when she turned around and looked completely over me, the urge to stomp her already red feet tempted me badly.

Against my will, my gaze turned a bit icier. "Down here miss," I said kindly despite my thoughts were anything but kind. My height still being a sore spot for me.

"Huh."

When our eyes made contact, her head tilted to the side in confusion. She took a look around slowly before her eyes found me again. She pointed at me with a silent question in her eyes. I nodded.

I cleared my throat and decided not to be petty today. Sneaking out to see more of present Tokyo had placated my mood of late. I held my head high in spite of my lack of height and intimidation."I speak English, so I can relay your question to that lady for you miss." I said before looking at the woman beside her. She also stared at me in shock before smiling in relief.

After I'd finished helping her, she offered to buy me ice-cream of my choice. Obviously, I took advantage of the offer to get a bucket of cookie-dough ice-cream instead of a cone. More for later. She was so relieved to get directions she barely put up an argument against it.

I hadn't known why a woman like her was interested in the harsh life of a business. I also didn't care much either, after I got my ice-cream. When she took off afterward I decided to rest my legs for the journey home on the bench I once stood beside.

"You're a very curious child."

I almost threw my bucket of ice-cream at the elderly man in shock. I didn't even notice that he was still there. I quickly recovered after noticing the amused look in his eyes.

I had to pause a few seconds."Thank you, sir." I remembered my manners and didn't snap back at him, which was my first response. I really needed to work on that.

He had a cane resting over his lap and a thin head of black hairs turning grey. His brown eyes held something unreadable to even me. He was dressed in traditional Japanese clothing which stood out against the more modern apparel worn now by the majority of people. Unlike the lively people in a rush around us, he held a more calm feeling that just about ever Grandpa possessed.

"You're quite smart." It was his turn to pause. "Tell me, where are your parents? I'm almost certain they wouldn't allow such a brain to wander unattended."

I had tensed and gripped my bucket, ready to take off. Sore legs or not, I wasn't about to stay another minute around that creepy old man. Suddenly he laughed and my body relaxed on its own accord.

Mr. Hayako was a mysterious man with too many secrets. Though I couldn't really talk much myself regarding secrets. I knew that day he was hiding something, however, as the years progressed I found myself losing interest in the deeply buried secrets of the traditional man.

I found that I never really liked challenges that much and Mr. Hayako proved to be just that.

So why was it so easy for me like that elderly man with the cane and traditional clothing?


Kumimi was stumped for not the first time in her life.

When she first eloped with Kaito and they had no house she was stumped then. When she figured out she needed to get a job she was stumped, getting food, clothes, and monthly necessities stumped her. However, Kumimi wasn't dumb. She digested and figured things out one step at a time because she was built of tougher things. When Kaito revealed his gambling addiction to her they fought and that put her on edge and they fought.

Kumimi digested and they together managed to get a small apartment. The cheapest one they could find. It was a small two room apartment, main room, and a tiny bathroom that consisted of a toilet, sink, and bathtub/shower. Not the worst but definitely not the best apartment there was in Tokyo. Though with Kumimi's checks and Kaito checks combined that was the best they could afford.

When Kaito left one day and didn't come back until two days later Kumimi assumed the worst. Turns out he was only gambling. They fought some before they made up. That night was the first time they'd laid together.

When she'd opened that door expecting her usual Mondays to go as expected. Nothing was supposed to throw her off course from getting to work and back home.

Kumimi was tired from not getting enough sleep the previous night. Kaito had somehow found another way to get underneath her skin and she snapped at him. The sad part about it was that he didn't even deserve it this time. She'd just assumed the worse concerning him.

The fight flew from her mind upon seeing one of the most beautiful babies she's ever seen. A thin head of black curls and grayish brown skin. A tone that worried Kumimi. The baby was inside of a basket meant for pickings. She was wrapped inside a thin cloth that was torn and fraying. The baby looked to have been cleaned but the smell coming from the basket said the baby must have had an accident.

Whoever had left the baby there had been in a clear hurry. Kumimi didn't mind though. She had a baby girl, she wasn't going to lose her.

Keiko was a smart baby. Something Kumimi was ecstatic about. However, it seemed like Keiko acted like an older woman than herself. Never wanted to play like the babies she'd babysit for years ago. The only things baby Keiko was interested in was her teething ring and sleep.

She found that Keiko's huge brown baby eyes weren't interested in many things.

Kumimi was shocked and confused on the next course of action. The only thing Keiko seemed to need her for was food and cleaning. Baby Keiko barely cried, she was so quiet and reserved. As if she was always thinking about something beyond.

Kumimi was ashamed that she had first blamed the baby's quietness and disinterest for a disorder. She'd thought Keiko had mental issues. Putting her in school proved that theory wrong. Keiko excelled to the top of her classes, even taking a step into skipping a grade.

Keiko just wasn't like any other child she's seen before. She found that she didn't mind one bit because Keiko Momozono was her child now, and she'd be loved on properly.

Though there were times when Kumimi felt like Keiko was too much. Trying to keep her educated, scared to mess up at the beginning, and she couldn't believe that she'd kept the child. Who was she kidding? Kumimi wasn't prepared for the responsibilities of raising a child. Especially a special case like Keiko. When her firstborn baby came she knew life was going to get more stressful.

Kumimi found herself unable to even think about giving Keiko up without feeling especially nauseate that particular day. Those moments made Kumimi realize that she'd never regret taking that child in as hers.

It was when Kumimi got sick that she knew she couldn't tell anyone. She had originally wanted to keep it a secret, that hopefully, it was just a passing sickness. However, when she fainted at work, she had panicked upon seeing Keiko looking at her with her too old eyes.

Keiko couldn't know. Not yet, too much was coming, it wasn't the right time. Kumimi had had so many things planned. So Kumimi did the only thing she could think of on the fly.

She lied.

She knew that lie wouldn't hold for long if what the doctor had said was true. Kumimi just wasn't prepared once again for Keiko to ignore her to such a degree. When Keiko blew up in her face she'd almost felt like breaking down.

Kumimi Momozono wasn't fully prepared for the angry mystery that was Keiko. She couldn't have known Keiko would take the lie so badly.

Kumimi had planned to just talk with Keiko to figure out why she was avoiding her. She knew Kaito

had told Keiko something, but the exact details he wouldn't mention. When Kumimi sat down she barely had time to slip her coffee before Keiko was on the move.

The words that came from Keiko had Kumimi's heart freezing over in fear.

Keiko hated her, was mad at her, was hurt because of her.

Kumimi couldn't keep it together after that. She'd confessed her motives for hiding her illness to Keiko. Kumimi was on top of the moon when Keiko called her mom for the first time in the many years she's raised her. Two nights later Kaito, her stupid husband, returned from a successful gambling trip. Instead of spending the money on more bets at the casino he came home.

Kumimi didn't care what her family thought about him because those moments were dear to her. Deep down inside of Kaito was a brain and a heart underneath all his faults, people just had to look for it. That wasn't a problem for Kumimi because she was good at looking deeper than appearances, than face value. It was the main reason Kaito was even able to win her other.

Not his cute attempts at flirting nor his stupid pickup lines, but what he held guarded beneath those layers of walls.

Kumimi found herself a lucky woman, heck the luckiest out of her entire line of the family. She had a husband with a heart, a smart child, and the sun compressed into the form of a firstborn healthy baby girl. She'd have loved to have watched them grow up and guide them with her experience. However, she settled for the sparse moments she had with all of them together in the house together. Kumimi's only regret was that she couldn't have more time with them all together in a more state of being.

Kumimi Momozono cherished what family she had left to her last moments. She left the living world with a smile on her face and holding her husband's hand tightly because, in the end, the world had been kind to her.


The first few times Ein met Keiko she only had three main words to describe Keiko with that'd do her justice.

Confusing, annoying, and really determined.

The first few times Ein met Keiko she didn't like her either.

It has been said that babies could sense evil in a person. Maybe Keiko was evil and that's why they don't get along she'd found herself wondering many times.

So when Ein's dad introduced Keiko to her, she immediately knew something was off and felt nervous around her. Keiko confused her, she wasn't like any other kid. She didn't have that energy for simple things like her and the others. When Dad said big words and phrases that confused her, Keiko on the other hand, would understand.

It just wasn't natural. Keiko just wasn't natural.

Ein knew she, herself wasn't normal. Ein could also see blurry lines flowing from people since a young age. When Ein was five she started to see the lines clearer. Those lines turned out to be strands of hair. The people Ein would see on the street had normal colorful strands. They were supposed to, that was healthy Dad had said once. Keiko Momozono gave off strange hair strands that weren't colorful. The majority was of her strands were washed greys, blues, and blacks, occasionally strands of pink and red appeared. When Ein turned nine she realized that some of Keiko's strands were blocked, censored.

Ein Hayako may not have been normal but Keiko Momozono wasn't natural.

By the time Ein was nine she, herself, had changed. She understood more and with age came to experience. When Ein saw Keiko the next time after her apartment almost burning down she was immediately overcome with goosebumps.

Keiko's strands had changed and not for the better. Those once censored strands were coming in and out of focus randomly, out of control. Some fading and others darkening. When Ein talked to her dad about what she'd seen the look he'd gotten in his eyes worried her. Her dad told her to try and make friends with Keiko.

Ein knew she wasn't the smartest kid on the block but even she knew something was up.

For the first time after meeting Keiko, Ein was truly scared for her rival.


It was dark and hot. I had opened the window but shut it when the noise from the busy Tokyo summer became too much. The Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festivals had officially only ended about a week ago but the noise was still grating on my nerves. Too many sounds mixing together, squeezing through my once open window to reach my already aggravated eardrums. With the window shut firmly and the curtains were drawn, it became uncomfortably hot in the small apartment.

Oh, I'm eleven years old now.

Nothing big, I've already been eleven once before this life. With everything going on in my life I had forgotten about certain things that came with being a female.

Menstrual periods being one of the many horrors I had forgotten about.

A few days before I woke up with bloody panties I had been having terrible cramps that only proved to push me closer to the edge. I got hungry more often, meaning I was usually just without the extra food. Nanami and I already had a basic breakfast and dinner that consisted of a bowl of rice, broiled fish, and pickles. We would have had natto also but the smell is too much for me along with its slimy texture. My first time eating it I almost puked it up.

However, if there's one good thing that comes from cooking the same thing repeatedly is that the flavor and quality improves.

Obviously, my thoughts were consumed by fantasies of foods, precisely American dishes, more so than my basic breakfast. Since my thoughts were occupied by food and wishing for meth because of camps, I found myself in the kitchen more often. Opening and closing the refrigerator door multiple times. I didn't expect anybody to come home anytime soon, with Dad gone off somewhere and Nanami with Ein at Sensei's house.

Don't ask me. Between exhausting work and staying sane, I don't know when exactly they became close enough to hang out.

Today was a Sunday and I planned to spend it completely in peace before the awkwardness came back in the form of my sister and adoptive father. Snuggled up in the blanket from my futon, in front of our TV, wearing the most comfortable pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt. I laid like a turtle yearning for a phone and wifi.

So when Nanami came in bursting through the apartment door I was completely unprepared for the on-slot of noise. My first thoughts had been Dad's loan sharks had come to get rid of him. I had somehow flipped the wooden table and ducked behind it expecting bullets instead of Nanami wrapped around my neck. My body buzzed and shook almost violently with nerves. My shaky fingers took hold of Nanami's sides trying to ground myself.

She bounced up and down excitedly seemingly unknown to the amount of time she'd just taken from my life with that stunt.

She grabbed my shoulders and stared me straight in the eyes. When she first spoke I thought I might have misheard her. Though when she repeated the sentence over again I knew she wasn't. Her eyes shined with a great light that hurt my sun-deprived ones.

"Come to the amusement park with me."

My response was quick and rushed."No." I didn't even mean to say that really, wait yes I did. I was now mad and shaken up and it was her fault. Nanami's face practically fell onto the floor, weighed down by her frown. "Do you even have amusement park money?" I asked with a raised eyebrow trying to salvage the situation even though I was now angry. She knows better than to bust into the apartment like that.

Another person rolled into the apartment like a ninja before hopping to his or her feet quickly. "She doesn't, but I do!" Dad said holding up his wallet in the air as if he'd found the answer to curing cancer. He struck a superhero pose and Nanami quickly joined in with him. My brain almost stopped.

When did they stop being awkward farts around each other? Where the hell as my brain been this past week more importantly?

They both started to laugh like cliche heroes. Dad stepped forward and threw my small body over his shoulder. I didn't protest or try to wiggle around, the pressure on my stomach oddly enough took away my cramps momentarily.

"Come Nanami darling before our prisoner escapes!" Dad yelled and before I could protest they had literally flown from the apartment with too amused smiles and laughs.

"Stop!"

My yell landed on dead ears. In that particular moment, I remember to never doubt anything is possible in anime. Heck, I'd almost forgotten I was even in one with life being so boring. I only knew of some future events so her childhood life was lost on me. Though, I'm one-hundred percent sure she'd never gone to the amusement park with her dad.

I didn't bother looking at Nanami to help me down because she was in on this whole plot of whatever they had planned for today.

I groaned as they raced down the street. I could just imagine the people that'd be there during the summer. So much noise and besides the lines to get onto the rides would be super long, longer than usual.

"Woah!"

My body tensed up and I gripped onto Dad like a lifeline when he suddenly swerved to the right. He started to lean dangerously close to falling so I leaned the opposite way hoping to balance him out. When he was back running alongside Nanami I yanked on his hair knowing his scalp was sensitive before gripping onto his shirt for support again. "Watch where you're going!"

He laughed that same cliche way but this time I realized it was more forced than before. I narrowed my eyes thinking a mile a minute. I lost my train of thought when he cut in front of traffic to catch the bus that was leaving. When a pair of headlights shined brightly and a car horn honked wildly I shut my eyes tightly.

"Brake check!"


Dad had paid for our entrance fee and the man collecting out money barely even gave me a second glance. Then I saw Ein sitting on a bench nestled in a comfortable looking shaded spot just outside the entrance gates.

Time flew too quickly because I suddenly found myself grounded across from Ein and my crazy family. The later I wouldn't mind but the first I did. Actually, I found myself upset with both parties.

My face screwed up in annoyance. "What are you doing here?" I asked crossing my arms tightly to stop movement in them.

Ein was about to retort before she suddenly gave me a once over. When she got to my feet she burst out laughing.

I looked down and a second later a deep groan escaped from deep within my throat. "Dad…." I said getting more upset by the moment. It was probably him who put this idea into Nanami's head to come here. Jokes on them, I had never enjoyed amusement parks in my old life so I'm sure I won't in this one either.

Ein laughed. "Don't get mad at your dad because you failed to put on shoes." She looked down her nose at me. "I knew cavemen didn't wear shoes but it's the twenty-first century."

I restrained myself from kicking her in the shins inside public, remembering my manners. Instead, I settled for glaring at her with hopeful ice in my eyes. "Shouldn't hairy bears like yourself be in the wild?"

Ein's face turned an interesting shade of red. "I'm not hairy!"

"Bald bear then." I shoved my still shaking hands into my shorts deep pockets, not wanting Ein to see my nerves shot to such a degree.

"I hate you."

I smiled, the first one of the day, happy to hear those words. "The feeling is gleefully mutual."

The noise of screaming people and chatter filled my ears and I found myself becoming more self-conscious the more time passed. With those feelings came the familiar emotion of defiance. Of wanting to tell the world screw you, but at the same time scared of contracting some disease from the concrete ground likely never truly cleaned.

My feet moved my body off to the side instead of standing directly in the walkway after the entrance.

Before Ein could retort with a comeback that'd likely start a string of harsh words Dad stepped in. Pulling me off to some side place to get shoes for me and telling Nanami and Ein to stay go one some rides while we got shoes. I failed to comment on what a bad idea that'd be. Too preoccupied with the fact he'd pulled my hand from my pocket and pulled me off. He didn't let my still shaking hand go and I got more nervous as time went by.

"So I'm eleven now." I hinted in the most subtle way I could think of at that moment.

Let go of my hand. Like seriously, it's getting so sweaty it might just slip out on its own without him having to let go.

Dad looked at me from the side before going back to looking around for a shoe place. I highly doubt he'd find some inside an amusement park. I voiced my opinion and he actually paused. I stared at him in open shock.

"You really thought you'd find something?" I asked incredulously.

"No."

It was my turn to pause. I sat down on a bench and hugged my arms across my aching stomach. "Huh?"

He sighed heavily before sitting down beside me on the bench.

Dad seemed to be thinking really hard on something. After a minute I found us engulfed in silence oddly. Wondering where all the noise had left to, I looked up to see that the crowd of people had moved to surround a stage.

I didn't bother to listen to the words coming out of Dad's mouth because at that moment because I found myself drawn to the stage. That familiar buzz that's been lingering since I put out the fire with my powers strengthen the closer I got to the stage. My body moved of its own accord as I rudely shoved by people, even almost knocking over children. I didn't care, not until I knew what was drawing me to that stage.

When I got to the front of the crowd I was confused and amazed. There were people on the stage jumping, swirling, twirling, and bending their body's in unnatural ways. Not in a disgusting way but in something beautiful.

However, what truly captured my attention was the beautiful woman with a thick head full of black curly hair and shining bronze skin. I stared at her the majority of their performance, not caring about the other people on stage. I watched the way her body moved as if she weighed like a feather.

As if she was carefree.

At the end of her performance, they bowed. When she came up her eyes locked onto mine, and my breath left my body. The same eyes that stared back at me every day in the bathroom mirror were on another's face.

"Keiko!"

I turned abruptly to face Dad. I had forgotten about him completely once that mysterious woman had appeared. He ran up to me and grabbed my shoulders.

I scratched the back of my head when his glare didn't let up. "Sorry Dad, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about." I turned to make eye contact with the woman. When our eyes met and I saw anger in hers I turned back to Dad quickly. "It turns out it was nothing."

I hoped she'd heard me.

Grabbing Dad's hand before he could chew my ear off I moved away from the stage. It was much easier this time because people were already leaving. When we finally got out of the crowd and back to our bench I turned to look up at him. I felt bad when I saw the frustrated look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

He sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately around me. "Don't be." He put his head on top of my head. "I'm the one that should be sorry." His hand moved to cup my cheek. At first, I thought he was gonna caress my check but I was wrong. I yelped in surprise more than pain when he grabbed and pulled outwards.

"Don't run off suddenly like that again!" He yelled. "Anything could have happened!"

I slapped his hand away. "I was literally right in front of you! What could have possibly happened?!" I fired back.

"Anything!"

"But-" I went to defend myself but he put up a hand to silence me.

"I don't want to hear it." He grabbed my still hands.

"Sis! Dad!"

We both looked towards Nanami who was in front of a boring looking ride. She held a stick of blue cotton candy in her hands and the waste of space Ein was beside her look accomplished.

I wondered what the look was for but when I saw the stuffed animal in her arms I knew.

Dad moved my face back toward him. "Keiko, you've been acting different lately. I know it's probably my fault-"

'It's not. I…" It was my turn to sigh. "I recently came on my period and-"

Before I could register what was happening Dad had grabbed my hand and pulled me towards Nanami and Ein. His face was flushed and his palms were sweaty.

I deadpanned at him. I didn't have much time to say anything because that man moved like a tornado was right behind him. When we got across from them Nanami threw herself into my arms. I quickly plucked the cotton candy from her hands before she could get it all over my clothes. I let her hug me in favor of tearing a piece of cotton candy off and popping some into my mouth.

"Sis, come on this ride with me!" Nanami demanded, her eyes shining as usual.

My eyes moved from hers to the merry-go-round behind her. My eyes moved back to hers, and I popped another piece into my mouth. "Not a chance in hell." I looked back in alarm when I saw tears prickle the corner of her right eye. "Wait, wait! I'll ride it with you!" I rushed out those words in hopes of making her tears go away.

My first ever ride at an amusement park ended up being on a stupid merry-go-round. A ride famous for little kids enjoyment. While Nanami loved the childish ride, I absolutely hated it and when Ein took a picture with a phone I didn't know she even had I tried to choke on the cotton candy.

I failed because it dissolved too quickly. I avoided the Ferris Wheel for reasons that tied back into my past life.


Note: Oh my gosh y'all's reviews on the last chapter made my day! You are too sweet to me! *Sends out air hugs*

On a side note: I gave five dollars to this man playing the guitar outside of Walmart. He was really good and my dumb self forgot to get his name until I was already halfway back to the car! I will regret not getting his name for a while and it's still bugging me. I have half a mind to drive back all the way to that Walmart just to know his name. I'm so stupid.

Question: Would you mind if I respond personally to your reviews at the end of each chapter? And If I drew small comic moments from "Keiko" and posted it on DeviantArt would you go view it? Please answer.

Love you from SuzyQBeats!