Disclaimer: I do not own Aizawa Inori nor anything affiliated to her apart from this Fan-fiction.
We had portaled nearly all the way to our destination, when Ophelia collapsed onto the cracked road. I quickly helped support her.
"What…?" She brushed me off.
"Stay…back…" A white incandescence emanated from her. I quickly stepped away. As soon as I did so, Ophelia's breastplate shimmered brightly, encasing her in light once again. In a few minutes, she was back in her regular dress.
"Sorry if I worried you Inori. The transformation is only temporary. It's even shorter if we overexert ourselves. We'll have to walk the rest of the way." While we were finishing the rest of the distance, I took a good look at my transformation. Now knowing it didn't last, I wanted to know what it looked like. All traces of my business attire was gone, replaced with an outfit similar to Ophelia's. But where her costume was mostly red and silver, mine was full of blue. I was in some kind of Japanese sailor-schoolgirl's uniform, with an overly short miniskirt. The thigh high socks did not compensate for it. When I brushed my hair back, I felt a small clip on the side. I felt sort of cheated. Ophelia got a hat and ribbon and my transformation gave me a hair clip? But the biggest part of the outfit was my glove. Jet black with some white highlights (a circle on the back of my hand plus a thick stripe), which almost reached my left shoulder. I felt like a half complete Tron-lady. I was happy that it probably saved my life though. How did I do it again? I tentatively placed my fingers on the white part of my glove. Swipe. I found myself jerking my right arm out, with some kind of blue panel sticking on it. I had defeated two…worms with some…plexiglass? I asked Ophelia, currently ahead of me if that was what they were, and she gave me a strange, amused look. "They're called tabs, Inori." Eventually, I had to stop practicing with it, and I reverted back to business suit mode. Fortunately, it was nothing like Ophelia's, just kind of dissipating gradually, from my hairband, then gloves and finally shoes. I patted around and sure enough, my badge was back in my breast-pocket. Sighing, I walked in silence next to her. Once I remembered more, would this kind of occurrence become an everyday thing? The fight had actually stirred up some hazy images. Robots, eyeless humanoids, demonic crawlers…had I met with them all? Trapped in my thoughts, I didn't notice the icy barrier until it was too late.
"Gah!" the feeling of cold water ran through my face, making me stumble back and land ungainly on my rear. I salvaged the moment by breaking the fall with my hands. If a random passer-by had looked, I'd just be reclining in front of a firewall. Ophelia politely helped me up and we walked through together.
She smiled. "Time for some deliveries. Let's move." I decided it was bad manners letting her carry the whole weight of her sack, so after a minor debate on how to hold it, we ended up in a sort of hand lock, the letter-bag in the middle. It turned out that all we had to do was walk to the city centre. Ophelia then yelled out the names written on each message. Surprisingly, it worked. Given what happened back home (? Despite not knowing much, it felt like it), I probably knew in the back of my mind that mail must have been a pretty big thing. Soon, we'd drawn an even larger crowd than Ophelia's last appearance had. Mail apparently, was more of an event here. Either that or this city was just bigger. I noticed a few five story buildings around. Every letter handed out was eagerly snatched up and torn open, each reader babbling the contents out excitedly then thanking us warmly for the delivery. The large sack quickly dwindled in size. From a first-prize plush, then to a pillow and finally…nothing. The crowd, realising there was nothing left, temporarily died down…then quickly regained in fervour for another reason. Sending letters. Soon, we were left carrying a full bag again, all addressed back to home-base (Ophelia specifically yelled the place). I sat underneath the large city square oak, trying to catch my breath from the buzz everyone had made. Ophelia soon joined me.
"So…wha-" I was interrupted with a small rumbling sound…hungry? Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten anything apart from this morning's ice cream. And it was already mid-afternoon. It sounded like gluttony, but considering what I had faced today, beating a few angry worms and then trudging towards a faraway city, I'd probably done enough to have some food. "What's for lunch?" Ophelia's eyes widened.
"Come to think of it…" an audible rumble. This time, not from me. I looked at her, her face reddening. "I haven't eaten since six!" Being a 'web browser'… it's that demanding? Some occupation I had. Ophelia quickly recovered and stood up. "I know the perfect place. We've got a few hours before returning back, so let's go!" This city was a little more urban, with infrequent parks and a few trees. Still no roads though. Only after a few turns, we reached a busy department store, full of people just like us, probably taking a break from their schedule and looking for something to eat. Fortunately, most were either inside the stores, or window shopping, so the large sack between us travelled unnoticed. We had reached the second level, when Ophelia stopped in front of an unassuming establishment. I could hear a person singing tunelessly inside. Wrecking Ball…? Looking at the billboard over the open door, I realised I could read Japanese. Karaoke Bar…I'm pretty sure this wasn't a Japanese invention, but, hey, so were fortune cookies (weren't they…Western?). "Let's try and find a seat. This place is actually pretty popular." Walking in, I was greeted with carpet. Red, luxurious, sound muffling carpet. Shuddering, I spotted a seat for two, somewhere annoyingly close to the stage. Unfortunately, I only found out after we were seated and in the middle of our spaghetti bolognese. During this, we were treated to the long version of the Sailor Moon theme song by a brunette lady. Oh, the irony. Apart from the singing though, the lunch was surprisingly satisfying, belying the strange blend of Japanese paintings and pop-art scattered across the room. I had just wiped the remains of the pasta from my face when a red faced man completed his surprisingly enjoyable rendition of Dynamite. I looked at Ophelia for permission, "Go ahead. It's free." and I walked tentatively to the stage.
"Any preference?" the man on the side of the stage asked me.
"Just something…meaningful." I was not going to be caught singing about the days of the week. Positioning myself, I grabbed the mike and looked carefully at the overhead TV, trying to ignore the large amount of diners here. A somewhat catchy melody started playing, the name of the song showing up on the screen. Bad Apple…a Japanese song… I took a deep breath as the lyrics started rolling.
Even within the midst of flowing time,
Look, indifference still goes round and round
As for me, my heart has separated from me
I can't see it. Is it true I don't know?
Ouch…singing felt challenging. I realised I was completely tense and attempted a relaxed pose.
Even if I don't move,
I continue to be lengthened in the cracks of time
I don't understand the rotation
I am me. That's it
Hmm, despite the speed of the song, I liked it. I breathed in, more comfortable with this, readying myself for the next verses.
Am I seeing a dream? Am I seeing nothing?
Are the words that I'm speaking useless?
I'm just tired of the sadness
"Feeling nothing" is best
Even if I were to speak these bewildering words,
My heart is just the upper sky
What if I was able to move
Everything would return and I'd turn it black
I know the guy picked out something random, but this felt… right, despite my shaky start. The song spoke to me. Even though I've re-discovered so much…a life under an electric sky…where I truly was…is still out of my reach.
Is this time pointless? Is there a future?
Do I exist in a place like this?
If I were to hurt,
Then the words would be: "good for nothing"
Do I exist in a place like this?
Do I exist in a time like this?
If this me were to be able to change,
If I were to change, would I turn white?
About you, about me,
About everything—I still don't know a thing
If my emotional eyelids were to open,
Then I'd break everything Let it all turn to black!
Sadly, there was no scoring system here. Instead, I looked at the audience. Considering the applause, I must have done a pretty decent job. Taking a small curtsey, I hurried off the stage, seating myself back with the now beaming Ophelia. A young lady was already taking my place, politely asking to sing Royals.
"So…anything?"
"Karaoke is…fun." While singing, I felt as if I could reach out towards whatever emotions or memories I had forgotten and reassert my place in this world. It was more than fun. It was exhilarating. My brow furrowed a little. A piece of my subconsciousness hadn't left me. "There's something missing here…" Ophelia looked at me, slightly confused. "We didn't go alone like this…there's another person, but…but…" a firm hand clasped my shoulder. I turned around in panic. A guy, looking around his mid-teens, but still around half a head taller than me, was the culprit. What exactly was with his hair? Longer even than Ophelia's and flushed dark amber, it was tied in a loose, flowing ponytail. A small part of my mind seemed to whir into some movement. I…knew this person. Think. But it refused to move again.
"Nice singing…Inori." And flashed a vulpine smile. My eyes widened. The memories stirred once more, and like a jigsaw being solved at high speed, collided into place.
It was a few years back, but that face remained the same. Ophelia and I encountered him at the park that we now seldom played at, having discovered the humble gift of conversation and sometimes, silence. Sitting under the oak tree that broke my arm - now a distant memory - was the perfect way to pass the time on the weekends.
We discovered him at the base of that same tree, head facing the sky without a care in the world, tracing the leaves with his fingertips. I glanced at Ophelia, who had narrowed her eyes a little, but did nothing. It was understandable; for the most part this was our place. Tucked in one of the folds of the city after some rebuilding, we could pretend that we were the only two people in existence for hours on end. The appearance of another person was akin to a new country discovered on a fully plotted map. A few minutes of indecision passed and he was still there. Ophelia made the first move and I followed quickly after, watching as she hesitantly walked towards the boy. He quickly noticed the shadow she made, blotting out his view of the sky.
"Oh." He said, slowly comprehending what was happening, and his mouth lazily upturned. "Could you step a bit to the left?" As she refused to do so, he sighed a little, then pulling himself up into a sitting position, laid against the oak's trunk. He continued to gaze past us, now focusing on the clouds in the distance. Ophelia seemed at a loss for words, just standing still. "Did you want to sit here too?" he inquired. A moment of deliberation later and we were on the grass as well, Ophelia in between us. I shuffled around, hoping to find the perfect position to contour my back against the tree's, and finally settled with simply crossing my legs. Ophelia was content with her hands in her lap and extending her legs, somehow maintaining a straight posture. It really was quite relaxing, watching the leaves of the oak as they reshaped the sunlight, and the warmth tugged at my eyelids, urging me to fully close them and drift away. But before I could completely fall asleep, Ophelia broke the silence.
"What's your name?" He jumped in response – apparently I wasn't the only one enjoying the peace. "It's good manners to introduce ourselves when meeting someone for the first time. I'm Ophelia."
"Inori." I managed, still a little tentative with this newcomer. He shrugged and played along, evidently well recovered from his surprise.
"Fenrir," then grinned. We'd eventually get used to seeing that smile; like he was on the verge of bursting out laughing from a secret joke that nobody else knew. "And since we're being so formal about it, I guess I can say my last name too: it's Inari. Inari, Fenrir." My eyebrows knitted together and my tranquil state vanished altogether. There was something off here. It took two seconds.
"But that makes no sense!" I blurted out, jumping back up, "First of all, you have two names that come from two different places: Norse and Japanese mythology! Second, you're named after a fox and a wolf in Inari and Fenrir respectively and that's really confusing because I have no idea which one you're supposed to be if you're even supposed to be an animal other than a human which I doubt because that would make even less sense but I guess you'd be a fox because your name is just that confusing and I think foxes are more confusing than wolves, but then you'd just be Inari and that wouldn't be confusing at all so…" I took a deep, deep breath. "…Sorry." Fenrir was clutching his chest and shaking uncontrollably, biting his lip back and not saying a word. Ophelia looked at him rather angrily and he immediately stopped.
"Um, you could just call me Fenrir. Is that any better?" I nodded quietly and sat back down, cheeks flushed. A lull in conversation ensued, long enough for a new set of clouds to replace the old ones. It would have continued were it not for something that had been gnawing in my mind for a while.
"…Fenrir?" He turned to face me, "How…how exactly did you find this place?"
"Oh." He smiled yet again and laid back onto the ground. "I kinda…got lost." Considering how he reacted to two girls suddenly joining him in his lazing about, it actually sounded feasible.
"Where were you headed?" He looked around absentmindedly.
"It doesn't matter now…probably." Silence once again rose triumphantly as the sun began slipping past the horizon. Fenrir slowly stood up and took a long stretch. "Thanks for the company, but I have to go. See you around?" And with that he walked off at an amble, waving back to us as he disappeared into the rest of the city. Ophelia and I stared at each other, still wondering quietly at the encounter. Suffice to say we did see him again, and again…and just like that, it was as if all three of us had been together from the start. But we never did find out where he wanted to go that day…
"Hey." A hand waved in front of me and the memory faded out, but didn't disappear. Fenrir looked slightly concerned.
"Sorry, just kinda…zoned out there. And thanks. For the compliment." Total recall here I come. Although that didn't quite come out right. "Actually, I've lost my memory. Again apparently." He looked at me curiously, and a mischievous smile appeared.
"Really now? I'm Fenrir, I'm a browser, same as you. It looks like we have some…reacquainting to do." My brow furrowed. Had I forgotten something about Fenrir? Ophelia, who had been absently listening to the performances, whirled around.
"Please Fenrir, no teasing." He looked at her like a child would, caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Sorry." He leaned in to whisper, audible enough for Ophelia to hear, "We were dati-"
"Not another word Foxy." Somehow, she had managed to make something as innocuous as a name seem like a death threat. He visibly swallowed and shut his mouth.
"Yes ma'am." His head lowered.
"Good. So Inor-hey!" As she spoke, he swiped our letter bag and examined them.
"M-A-D-R-O-I-A…" Ophelia was about to grab it back when he bolted. "Steal my fun, and I'll steal your letters!" He called back, narrowly missing a few people entering the facility and tossed what looked like coins behind him. She jumped out of the seat and started running, throwing a slip of paper at the clerk. With the ferocity at which she did so, if he hadn't dodged it in time, I wouldn't have been surprised if it gave him a nasty paper cut. Apologising quietly to the other patrons, I jogged after her. We were soon out of the shopping centre. Where…?
"The firewall!" Looking at the direction Ophelia was pointing in, I saw a flash of amber turn back the way we'd entered the place. Ignoring the freezing sensation, I leapt straight through…and crashed into Fenrir, leaving us in a…compromising position. I rolled off immediately. A deep sky-blue bird was flying in the distance, holding the letters. Ophelia joined my side, helping me up. "Don't worry. As much as I don't like it, they're in good hands." She turned to Fenrir, who was brushing the dust off of his shirt. "Don't do that again. Please?" He just smiled.
"Learn to live a bit. Please?" She looked sharply at him and opened her mouth…then stopped, turning away in a huff. She sighed and fiddled with her necklace. Her transformation completed soon after. Ophelia pointed at the ground, concentrating. But no portal appeared. Fenrir watched, slightly amused. I glared at him, doing the best angry face I could muster. His smile only broadened. After a few attempts, she stopped.
"Never mind. Inori, let's get going." As she began to walk, Fenrir immediately matched pace. Ophelia stopped. "Vanish." He shook his head, suddenly serious. Or at least, not smiling.
"The Internet's a dangerous place, especially when it's getting dark like this. I mean, with Inori out of action like th-"
"You just got tackled by her Fenrir." Ophelia pointed out. He just shrugged it off.
"Well, I guess if the malware come, you could…use me as bait while you both run off?" She frowned at the implications of the joke and shook her head.
"It looks like I can't teleport at the moment anyway, so I guess…let's just go." And we walked in silence, the purple in the distance blending with the afternoon sun. "Inori, stay next to me."
I guess I need to acknowledge Touhou Project for their awesome song.
Got it from AnimeLyrics, just search for Bad Apple and you'll find it.
As per usual, please comment constructively! Thanks.