I'm You Not Me But He Is I
Chapter Two
Incident
Ruki shook her head. What is that?
Without her house was a lump of a person, freezing and shuffling to get warm in the cold. Snow had begun falling heavily just minutes ago and Ruki thought that the person was starting to resemble a pathetic snowman. Bah, Ruki, you're getting soft. Scared?
She cautiously stepped barefoot outside the warmth of her house and treaded towards him on the icy ground. Reaching the frozen boy, she leant in front of him, and after a moment of staring, Ruki backhanded the boy's cheek.
That woke him up. "Wha-?" He lifted his head and looked around him. When his eyes rested on Ruki, there was no light of recognition in them. "What?"
But before she could retort back, her vision changed. The next moment she was staring at scowling girl who could have been her twin. Is that me?
Startled at the suddenness of it, Ruki shook her head to clarify what she saw, but when she opened her eyes again, she was looking at the ice-boy, unconscious once more.
Strange.
A gust of wind swept through both children but only one of them had enough wits to leave before another one came. Ruki grabbed both of the ice-boy's arms and hauled him up with little difficulty. In fact, so little was it that her force sent her toppling backwards and she almost fell into the snow had she not regained her balance quickly.
Ruki stared at the boy in her arms. For a boy like him, he sure is underweight. But she just shrugged the thought away and carried him into her house.
Once inside, she put the boy down on her bed and pulled the covers on him. She didn't bother removing his damp clothes because it serves him right waking me up like that. After she closed the door leading outside, she continued into the living room where it was warmer. She closed the door behind her and settled on the couch. Ruki almost regretted leaving the cold boy in her colder room but she reasoned that it was his fault staying out in the blizzard. And besides, he's sleeping on my bed.
Ruki raised an eyebrow. I should let him know tomorrow how much it's gonna cost him for picking the wrong house.
_ =^= _
I opened my eyes, but the glare of the sun forced me to close them. I rolled over in my bed, forgetting that I usually sleep in a bunk.
Uh-oh.
Before I could stop my body, I fell off. only to find the floor wasn't that far down.
Huh, I could have sworn that I slept at least five feet off the ground every night.
I opened my eyes again, defying the sunlight.
Oh.
This wasn't my room.
Rubbing the grogginess from my face, I sat up on the bed. I looked down on it and immediately panicked. There was only one person I knew who slept on a futon.
Ruki.
_ =^= _
I watched Takato while I hid in the shadowy corner of my room. That boy sure can make a fool of himself early in the day.
I smirked as he realized whose bed he had been sleeping on. Amazing how my reputation precedes me very fast, since it was only days ago I beat the crap out of that thief who dared touch my digimon cards. And I made sure people saw. One of them happened to be the boy on my bed.
_ =^= _
I sleep on a futon.
Takato remembered that conversation very well with Makino Ruki. In absolute boredom, he invited anyone who came into the bakery to play the card game with him. He remembered bumping into the her and her icy cold glare that somewhat calmed when he offered to play the game.
After numerous victories later - all Ruki's of course - Takato broke the silence. His ego had been deflating by each loss of his and in an attempt to save it he started on the topic of dreams. He was playing with fire because the last time Takato talked to her about dreams, she threatened to "beat him to a pulp that his own parents wouldn't even know it was him." Nonetheless, the boy was keen not to mention that particular dream.
He had been dreaming strangely of late, but he was too embarrassed to tell his parents. Had Jenrya been there, Takato would have spilled everything to him by now, but his friend had been missing in action a few days now.
Ruki listened, but made very few attempts to contribute into the discussion. Takato wasn't fazed, however, and told a humorous account of falling off his bunk bed when he woke up from another strange dream. He had asked her if she ever fell off her bed, but she answered, "I sleep on a futon."
Then she stood up from the bench table and walked out of the park without him.
_ =^= _
Judging from that pensive look in his eyes, Ruki knew he was remembering their meeting a week ago. She wondered what he thought of her abrupt departure. She hadn't meant to be rude - she just naturally was. Talking about where she slept would only reveal more about her and that wasn't the kind of conversation she would tolerate.
She looked down at her open hands. What was it about those creases that never failed to tweak her imagination?
The way they look, the way they distract you.
She closed them.
Her eyes looked up. and met his eyes.
And then she was looking at herself.
_ =^= _
"What the - "
Takato was looking at the boy sitting on the bed with a dumbfounded look that was probably on his own face. What's going on?
He instinctively looked down at his closed hands, which he found weren't at all his. He looked below them and saw scars on the wrists - angry, red ones that haven't fully healed - continuing up the arms.
Before he could investigate the wounds any further, his vision changed and he was looking at Ruki.
***_ =^= _ ***
Author's notes: I revised the chapter because after I posted the one with Sahasrala, I immediately disliked it. You see folks, I am not very partial with original characters unless they are done very, very well, and I don't think I have enough writing skills to round out such a character. No fear, explanations will come in another form ;)
The chapter two I posted here before wasn't the original chapter two. Nope, I had another one written and ready to go but - you knew there was a 'but' didn't you? - it was stored away in another computer that was formatted and my files were deleted with it. My apologies, but I've striven to write this chapter to be better.
Disclaimer: Almost. almost there! . ack! The police are here! Run! . Shoot, I almost had Digimon for myself!
Next chapter preview: What in the world just happened? Is there some kind of conspiracy going on here? We'll find out in the next chapter!
Chapter Two
Incident
Ruki shook her head. What is that?
Without her house was a lump of a person, freezing and shuffling to get warm in the cold. Snow had begun falling heavily just minutes ago and Ruki thought that the person was starting to resemble a pathetic snowman. Bah, Ruki, you're getting soft. Scared?
She cautiously stepped barefoot outside the warmth of her house and treaded towards him on the icy ground. Reaching the frozen boy, she leant in front of him, and after a moment of staring, Ruki backhanded the boy's cheek.
That woke him up. "Wha-?" He lifted his head and looked around him. When his eyes rested on Ruki, there was no light of recognition in them. "What?"
But before she could retort back, her vision changed. The next moment she was staring at scowling girl who could have been her twin. Is that me?
Startled at the suddenness of it, Ruki shook her head to clarify what she saw, but when she opened her eyes again, she was looking at the ice-boy, unconscious once more.
Strange.
A gust of wind swept through both children but only one of them had enough wits to leave before another one came. Ruki grabbed both of the ice-boy's arms and hauled him up with little difficulty. In fact, so little was it that her force sent her toppling backwards and she almost fell into the snow had she not regained her balance quickly.
Ruki stared at the boy in her arms. For a boy like him, he sure is underweight. But she just shrugged the thought away and carried him into her house.
Once inside, she put the boy down on her bed and pulled the covers on him. She didn't bother removing his damp clothes because it serves him right waking me up like that. After she closed the door leading outside, she continued into the living room where it was warmer. She closed the door behind her and settled on the couch. Ruki almost regretted leaving the cold boy in her colder room but she reasoned that it was his fault staying out in the blizzard. And besides, he's sleeping on my bed.
Ruki raised an eyebrow. I should let him know tomorrow how much it's gonna cost him for picking the wrong house.
_ =^= _
I opened my eyes, but the glare of the sun forced me to close them. I rolled over in my bed, forgetting that I usually sleep in a bunk.
Uh-oh.
Before I could stop my body, I fell off. only to find the floor wasn't that far down.
Huh, I could have sworn that I slept at least five feet off the ground every night.
I opened my eyes again, defying the sunlight.
Oh.
This wasn't my room.
Rubbing the grogginess from my face, I sat up on the bed. I looked down on it and immediately panicked. There was only one person I knew who slept on a futon.
Ruki.
_ =^= _
I watched Takato while I hid in the shadowy corner of my room. That boy sure can make a fool of himself early in the day.
I smirked as he realized whose bed he had been sleeping on. Amazing how my reputation precedes me very fast, since it was only days ago I beat the crap out of that thief who dared touch my digimon cards. And I made sure people saw. One of them happened to be the boy on my bed.
_ =^= _
I sleep on a futon.
Takato remembered that conversation very well with Makino Ruki. In absolute boredom, he invited anyone who came into the bakery to play the card game with him. He remembered bumping into the her and her icy cold glare that somewhat calmed when he offered to play the game.
After numerous victories later - all Ruki's of course - Takato broke the silence. His ego had been deflating by each loss of his and in an attempt to save it he started on the topic of dreams. He was playing with fire because the last time Takato talked to her about dreams, she threatened to "beat him to a pulp that his own parents wouldn't even know it was him." Nonetheless, the boy was keen not to mention that particular dream.
He had been dreaming strangely of late, but he was too embarrassed to tell his parents. Had Jenrya been there, Takato would have spilled everything to him by now, but his friend had been missing in action a few days now.
Ruki listened, but made very few attempts to contribute into the discussion. Takato wasn't fazed, however, and told a humorous account of falling off his bunk bed when he woke up from another strange dream. He had asked her if she ever fell off her bed, but she answered, "I sleep on a futon."
Then she stood up from the bench table and walked out of the park without him.
_ =^= _
Judging from that pensive look in his eyes, Ruki knew he was remembering their meeting a week ago. She wondered what he thought of her abrupt departure. She hadn't meant to be rude - she just naturally was. Talking about where she slept would only reveal more about her and that wasn't the kind of conversation she would tolerate.
She looked down at her open hands. What was it about those creases that never failed to tweak her imagination?
The way they look, the way they distract you.
She closed them.
Her eyes looked up. and met his eyes.
And then she was looking at herself.
_ =^= _
"What the - "
Takato was looking at the boy sitting on the bed with a dumbfounded look that was probably on his own face. What's going on?
He instinctively looked down at his closed hands, which he found weren't at all his. He looked below them and saw scars on the wrists - angry, red ones that haven't fully healed - continuing up the arms.
Before he could investigate the wounds any further, his vision changed and he was looking at Ruki.
***_ =^= _ ***
Author's notes: I revised the chapter because after I posted the one with Sahasrala, I immediately disliked it. You see folks, I am not very partial with original characters unless they are done very, very well, and I don't think I have enough writing skills to round out such a character. No fear, explanations will come in another form ;)
The chapter two I posted here before wasn't the original chapter two. Nope, I had another one written and ready to go but - you knew there was a 'but' didn't you? - it was stored away in another computer that was formatted and my files were deleted with it. My apologies, but I've striven to write this chapter to be better.
Disclaimer: Almost. almost there! . ack! The police are here! Run! . Shoot, I almost had Digimon for myself!
Next chapter preview: What in the world just happened? Is there some kind of conspiracy going on here? We'll find out in the next chapter!