April 11th Morning - Port Island Station
It had been only a few hours since Hamuko had been finally released from the hospital and already she found herself preparing to leave yet again; this time from Tatsumi Port Island itself. She stood in front of Tatsumi Port Island Station, dressed in a school uniform that was not Gekkoukan High's. Behind her stood Mitsuru, Doctor Kajuro, and Mariko, the nurse that had taken care of her.
Hamuko turned around and faced the trio that had come to see her off.
"I must admit, Yasogami High does have a pretty stylish uniform," said Mitsuru as she walked up to Hamuko, holding a silver briefcase. "Don't you agree Hamuko?"
Looking down at her black and white checkered skirt and then at the black denim uniform jacket she wore, Hamuko couldn't help but agree. "It does beat a hospital gown, for sure!"
"Well, hopefully you won't have to wear one of those again for a long, long time," chuckled Dr. Kajuro. "Of course you'll still need to have checkups done, but I'll take care of the arrangements at the hospital in Inaba, so that is one less thing for you to worry about."
"The train bound for Yasoinaba Station will be departing in seven minutes," sounded an announcement over a loudspeaker.
"Hmm, it's almost time then, huh?" said Mitsuru.
"Well then, Mitsuru-san I'll let you two say your goodbyes," said the doctor as he motioned toward Mariko. "Come, Mariko."
"Good luck Hamuko-chan!" said Mariko as she waved at the girl. "Being able to be a part of your recovery has been a wonderful experience for me!"
After the two took their leave Mitsuru held up the briefcase and unlocked it. "Before you go there are a few things I want to give to you."
Hamuko nodded. I wonder what they could be? She watched as Mitsuru opened the briefcase and then looked inside it. The contents were, to her, strange at best. Her rust-colored eyes first noticed a red cuff with the letters SEES printed on it. Hamuko had no idea what it meant.
The second item was a pair of orange headphones and what looked like the smallest portable music player she had ever seen. Where does the CD go? She wondered.
The final item was a white holster and a...gun? Her eyes widened at the sight.
"Um, perhaps I should explain," said Mitsuru after a nervous laugh up seeing the girl's reaction to the last item. "These three items all belonged to your brother, Minato. Each one had a specific importance to him, and as such I thought you should have them."
"I see, but...A gun?" Hamuko asked. "Is it really okay for me to have that?"
"Oh, it's not a real gun," clarified Mitsuru as she shut the briefcase and handed it out to her. "There's a story behind it as well as the rest of the items, but that's for a later time. Just don't go running around waving it in the air on the train or in town okay?"
"As if!" laughed Hamuko as she took the briefcase. "Don't worry, I'll be a good girl."
"Good to hear," said Mitsuru as she removed the pink handbag she was wearing. "This is for you too."
"Oh, thank you," said Hamuko as she took the handbag.
"The train bound for Yasoinaba Station will be departing in two minutes. All passengers should board the train now."
"Okay, then, I guess it's time," said Mitsuru as she put her left hand on Hamuko's shoulder. "Remember that when you arrive in Inaba, a man named Takao will be waiting for you. He's the caretaker of the house you'll be staying in."
"Takao...Got it," said Hamuko. "I really can't thank you enough Mitsuru-san. I know you must have gone though a lot of trouble to do all of this for me..."
Mitsuru smiled and shook her head. "It's no trouble at all, believe me. Now hurry up or you'll miss the train!"
Hamuko nodded and gave a bow to Mitsuru before walking up to the train. Taking one last look at Mitsuru she boarded the train.
"The train bound for Yasoinaba Station is now departing."
Mitsuru watched as the train departed from the station. Good luck Hamuko...Make him proud.
Five minutes later – Aboard the train
As the train traveled through Port Tatsumi Island, Hamuko took the chance to watch the various sights through the window. Much of the city did look like she had remembered it, almost as if whatever it was that happened to the city and to her and her parents ten years ago had never happened.
After the train left the city Hamuko noticed that there was a piece of paper sticking out of the handbag that Mitsuru had given her. Putting it on her lap, she opened the handbag, which contained an envelope, a picture, and a letter. Picking up the letter she began to read it.
Hamuko,
I am sure the journey that you are now embarking on will not be an easy one. Of course, life's journeys rarely ever are. However, I hope that the contents of this handbag will make the journey a little easier for you. The picture that is included is that of your brother Minato and his closest friends, myself included. Though his life's journey ended much too soon, very few people were unchanged by it. Somehow he seemed to make everyone's life a little bit better. Strange as it may seem, I can see the faintest bit of that quality in you. I expect great things from you.
On a less serious note, the envelope contains a small amount of money for you to start with. After all, a girl can't only wear a school uniform everywhere she goes right?
Best wishes, Mitsuru Kirijo
Hamuko smiled a little bit as she finished reading the letter. It was comforting to know that her brother was so well-liked, and it seemed that she had some pretty big shoes to fill. Folding up the letter, she put it back into the handbag and retrieved the picture. She instantly recognized her brother standing in the center of the picture; a bit older than her memory had held of course, but there was no doubt to her that it was him. On either side of him stood various students that must have been his friends, Mitsuru included, although a few did stick out to her. One was boy who was much younger than the others, the other was, well, a dog. He certainly kept some strange company, she thought. Still, they all seem happy, and that's what counts.
Putting the picture away, Hamuko took the envelope out and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw a large amount of 10,000 yen bills inside. Not wanting to attract attention to herself, she quietly counted them all up, and was shocked to discover that the 'small amount' that Mitsuru had given her was actually 500,000 yen. I wonder what she considers to be a lot...Still, it's more than enough for a few outfits. She quickly put the envelope back into her handbag.
Looking at her train ticket, Hamuko noted that the arrival time was three hours away. I suppose a quick nap would be okay, she thought. After tucking away the handbag between the train and herself she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
?
The sound of opera music woke Hamuko from her sleep, but upon awakening she saw that she was no longer inside the train. Instead, it appeared to be interior of a vehicle, most likely a limousine. Everything inside was blue in color, from the seats to the lighting. It was then that Hamuko noticed she was not alone. Staring at her from the opposite side of the vehicle was older gentleman with a peculiarly long nose and bugged-out, bloodshot eyes dressed in a black suit. Next to him was an adult blonde woman dressed in a blue dress, holding a book of some sort.
"Ah, it seems we have another guest," said the man. "And so soon after we had just welcomed another guest. How very interesting..."
"Um, who are you exactly?" asked Hamuko. "And where am I?"
"My name is Igor," said the man after a slight chuckle. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract may enter..."
"A contract?" None of this made any sense to Hamuko. "But I didn't sign anything like that."
"Ah, it may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future," replied Igor. "Now then, why don't you introduce yourself?"
"..." Hamuko pondered telling the man her name. Everything that was going on was so bizarre that it must be a dream. No harm in playing along right? "Hamuko Arisato."
"Arisato..." trailed Igor. "Hmm, I see. Perhaps this was not just a chance encounter after all. Shall we take a look at your future?" He gestured at the small card table in front of him.
Hamuko shrugged. It's just a dream, right? "Okay."
A deck of somewhat large cards materialized above the card table. "I wonder what you think about fortune-telling. Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different," said Igor with another chuckle. "Kind of like life itself, right?"
Hamuko watched as the cards positioned themselves onto the table with a wave of Igor's hand. Once they had settled into position, Igor flipped the card nearest to him.
"Hmm, Death in the upright position..."
"Whoa, whoa, Death?" gasped Hamuko. "I'm going to die?"
Igor gave another chuckle before answering. "Everyone dies of course. However, that is not what this card is indicating. It means that a long cycle of your life has ended, and that you will be undergoing a change in your life."
"..." That was frightfully accurate to Hamuko. After all she had just woken up from a decade long coma, and was about to begin a new life in a new place.
"Next we have..." Igor flipped the card to the right of the Death card. "The Tower, in the upright position. This represents the immediate future. It appears a catastrophe is imminent. Just like the guest we just had...Very interesting."
So someone else also had this same dream just before I did? Hamuko wondered as she watched Igor flip the next card. Is that even possible?
"The card indicating the future beyond that is...The Star in the upright position." said Igor as he stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner. "This card represents faith, optimism, and trust. Very interesting."
"So what does it mean?" asked Hamuko, scratching her head.
"It seems you will encounter a great misfortune at your destination, and you will be called upon to assist in some way afterward," explained Igor. "In the coming days you will enter a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If you choose to ignore those who call out for your help, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to insure that does not happen." Waving his hand over the table, Igor made the cards disappear.
"Ah, before I forget, allow me to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."
"I am Margaret," said the woman in a somewhat cold fashion. "I am here to accompany you through your journey."
"I'm still not sure I understand any of this," said Hamuko. "It's confusing..."
"We shall attend to the details another time," replied Igor. "Until then, farewell..."
After he had spoken, the room began to dim, and everything became black.
Afternoon- Aboard the train
Hamuko awoke with slight jolt. Upon seeing that she was back on the train, she let out a sigh of relief. What was that? she wondered as she looked outside the window. Such a weird dream...