The rain poured down in sudden waves as if teasing the humans down below, playing with them like a master would do with their dog.
Moist
The air usually filled with smoke was now replaced with a heavy mist, the kind that chokes you slowly as your breaths get shallower and shallower.
Thick
The heady scent of the storm accompanied with the light aftertaste of metal from the occasional thunder overpowers any kind of human made chemicals
"Why are you still alive?"
Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy
Alive?
She was not
She was merely…a bit lost and very much dead
…
Who was she again?
She could only remember rainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrainrain
And a boy with green tipped hair
Who was he?
A genius, a madman, a hero, a savior.
The first and the last
The winner and the loser
S—
Sen—
Senkuu
He smiles and saves the world
—
She didn't want this
She didn't want to be the only one who stayed
She didn't want to be the one who had the burden
She wanted to be the random people in the crowd, the ones that you could never seem to remember.
But she wasn't, and so she learned to live with it
Or rather, survive with it
—
It was like a dream, as if she was half awake
She looked around, and she thought of stone birds and the moon
Her head was heavy, so she cocked it so it rests on a shoulder
Wait…
Shoulder?
She looked around, and found a young boy about her age sleeping besides her, he was a masterpiece, he had flawless skin and silky hair, his face sculpted like marble, the hair was in the perfect balance between messy and straight, a single freckle next to his left eye adds perfectly to his alluring character. His light breaths tickled her ear as she was examining the boy, eyeing every detail that could be found.
Artificial
(Strangely perfect)
Who was he?
And what was he?
"He's you now, or, he is you"
The sudden voice made her flinch and look around again, confused, she asked the voice "w-what do you mean?"
The scene suddenly changed from endless void into an old fashioned train station, she and the boy sitting on a bench against the wall, shadows milling around as they wait for the train that will never come.
"This is your afterlife"
"Mine? I…I'm dead?" Shocked but oddly calm, she tore her gaze from the train station and stared back to the boy, "Then…what is he doing here?"
"Didn't I say? He's you now" the voice answered, the usual emotionless tone cracking slightly to express its annoyance "or rather, you're him now".
"This…"
"You've died, and given a second chance"
"Why me?"
"…"
"Fine, don't answer me, what do I need to know then?" She accepted the silence to her question
"…[REDACTED] told me to only say one thing"
"…what is it?"
"Enjoy your stay"
—
People never really notice the little things around them till they are robbed of them, she is jealous of the ones unknowing.
Knowing what will happen is not much a gift, it was more of a burden.
She knew that if she just gone with the flow, nothing really bad is going to happen, she knows how it goes, and and it makes her feel more detached.
No one wanted to know. But she knows.
Why her?
Whywhywhywhywhywhy
…
But nonetheless, it was an advantage, her only weapon to survive the stone world, the cruel and harsh reality, renewed like the great flood, but this time, she supposes, she was supposed to be Noah, and she isn't even sure how to build a raft yet.
Even though this was a fairly lighthearted world, she was sure what she've seen was the more watered down version. The true world was not like that, it was…
Much more heavy.
She didn't really know how to proceed
Would she rather be alone and try to do it all herself, or should she —
The latter would be more effective.
—
Rain is falling like rhinestones from the sky
(Nature's corrupted in factories far away)
—
The first day she woke up was a daze, as a newborn, she didn't have much to do except try to reach for her almost non-existent sanity with her little weak hands.
(The colors were too bright)
The next day was the same, and the next, and the next.
Later when she was a bit older, she would admit she lost what remained of her sanity in those years.
Except the constant visits to the doctor she reached year one without any fuss.
It was then she could finally understand some of the giberish her parent caretaker speak
Okaa-san was supposed to be "mother" in this language it was Japanese why didn't she remember
(She never called her caretaker that, much to her annoyance)
She was a weird kid, and she stayed more often in the hospital than in her house.
She didn't really care.
She knew if she got attached, it would be herself that would suffer the most
—
Snipsnipsnipsnipsnipsnipsnip
Her dark hair fell in silky little clumps
She wasn't allowed to leave it long
(She was so angry when her mom caretaker turned her down, why did she not understand? )
—
Her first day at school was…mind blowing
It was so normal, so familiar, she could nearly smell her (before) mother's messy cooking in her backpack.
But the weirdly colored hair broke her out from her daze.
"Senkuu-chan! It's rude to stare!" The teacher berated
…
—
Sometimes she wonders if this was all a dream...
(Please let this be a dream)
She wondered hysterically as a young boy with green tipped hair stared at her like she was a confusing puzzle he couldn't solve yet.
She could only tilt her head like a confused puppy and answer with a "I don't really mind, Haruto sensei"
The teacher smiled awkwardly and shooed her to the front of the class "why don't you introduce yourself, Shio-chan?"
"Hey, I'm Tsukibane Shiobu, but I go by Tsuki, nice to meet you" she gave a pointed stare at the teacher "I Believe that in approximately 10 years, we will all turn to stone." She bowed "thanks for having me" and sat down in the nearest empty seat, which just somehow was between Senkuu and a random kid with a strangely familiar spiked hair.
She didn't want to think about anything now
Just…Why?
—
Of course this would happen, she knew it, what did she do in her last life to deserve this?
She bemoaned her existence while Senkuu and Taiju (That was why he was so familiar) tried to build a rocket while failing spectacularly.
She sighed pitifully as she lay in the uncomfortable grass, playing with a paper crane she just folded as her black shirt waved in the gentle wind.
This had become a routine for the trio, Senkuu trying to build a rocket from any kinds of material he can get his grubby hands on, Taiju carried heavy things around and fended off the bullies, Tsuki either making paper cranes or doing some planning in code, there were some rare moments where Tsuki would give a pointer or two to Senkuu, at first the green haired genius didn't really pay attention to her, but once he tried, his research jumped in leaps and bounds. He was really confused at first, but ultimately, he didn't really care, she guesses its that indifference is what drew her to him.
So Senkuu just kept on researching, Taiju just kept on being there, and she…she just kept planning.
(She just used up her 13th notebook)
(Even paranoia stretching it a bit)
—
The first time she talked to her caretaker about learning Akido was early in January
(if she didn't at least know how to defend herself now, then how would she survive the stone world?)
Something called money kept her caretaker hesitant
Hospital visits weren't exactly cheap
…
—
The next time she talked to her caretaker about learning Akido was in late October
She shown her mom her computer
A little font showing 200000 Yen on a bank tab
She shouldn't be hesitant this time right?
—
When the paralytic dreams that we all seem to keep
(Drive on engines till they weep)
—
Five years passed like a blur, the deadline looming in the distance like an inevitable death. Senkuu was somewhere in Africa researching malaria, Tenju was in the track and field club, leaving little time to interact with them.
They stayed together in a mismatched trio as if they were like flowers of the same soil, wavering but never actually leaving. The same kindergarten, the same middle schools, the same high schools—they stuck together in broken pieces, like half-baked puzzle pieces that can just barely fit together.
She was a bit afraid of her new attachments
—
"Tsukibane! Remember to lock up the lab once you're done!" The teacher reminded as he left, barely glancing back to where she stood in front of a pile of data and rows of test tubes filled with different colors of liquid. She gave a silent nod that the teacher doesn't even see, too busy caught up with the glow of his phone screen. She turned back to her table and jotted down some more notes as the temperature rises in a half-filled beaker, slowly bubbling in lazy compliance.
Ringgringggringggringgg
She picked up her phone as her chat was blown up by messages that she could already guess were by the green tipped genius.
Group Chat (3)
Onion Head: Hey guys look at what I've just found
Onion Head: IMAGE
Onion Head: Did you guys know that there are more than 3000 species of mosquitoes in the world?! The research facility here is so advanced in the study of Culicidae I'm almost jealous we don't have tech like this in Japan
Conspiracy Theorist: I guess your old man is at least useful for something
CaveMan™: THAT'S REALLY COOL SENKU. I AM REALLY HAPPY FOR YOU!
Conspiracy Theorist: I would tell you to stop using all caps but you would just forget the next day
CaveMan™: WHAT IS ALL CAPS?
Conspiracy Theorist:…
Onion Head: Its no use Tsuki, you know how the big oaf is
Conspiracy Theorist: -_-;
Onion Head: Anyways, how's school? Hope you don't miss me that much
Conspiracy Theorist: its pretty much the same, but without the sporadic explosions distracting us from class
Onion Head: ermmmm
Caveman™: TSUKI IS RIGHT. THERE HAVEN'T BEEN AN EXPLOSION SINCE YOU'VE LEFT, IT IS TRULY MIND BOGGLING
Conspiracy Theorist: anyways, I gtg, the Bunsen burner broke again
Caveman™: BYE BYE TSUKI!
Onion Head: see ya
She sighed as she turned off her phone, walking to the work station and grabbing a roll of duct tape and taping the fallen piece back.
It was nice to pretend it was all normal, acting on a stage for an invisible audience, puppets in a puppet show.
She didn't want this to end
—
Congratulations the text read for completing your doctorate for Medical Science
Her caretaker patted her on the back, Senkuu acted like a proud parent, and Taiju shouted it for the world to hear.
She hoped this was enough, but it isn't, it was never enough
She had just finished it after three long grueling years of repeating the material, even she was a little proud of herself.
Just in time for her last year
—
This was it.
—
She went and bought a platinum ring, the purest she could find, she even brought Senku to check if it was fake or not.
Senkuu didn't ask, but had the strangest look on his face.
(She spent all her given money. It doesn't matter since the money would be long gone when she woke up again)
—
And as Taiju left the lab in an lovestruck hurry, she turned to face Senkuu who was pouring the gasoline down the sink.
"Senkuu…" she started, hesitant
"I know…It's today right? The day where we all turn to stone" Senkuu answered solemnly, hand still on the tap
She quickly suppressed her surprise and whispered "…just promise me this Senkuu…save the world for us,"
"I'll save the world with you, for us" he spoke with absolute confidence.
"Wha—"
"We gotta get going now" he interrupted her again, striding to the lab door in slow but sure steps "we wouldn't want to miss Taiju's show"
—
Senkuu sipped on his monster can, Taiju walked to the tree, she played with her ring.
The camphor leaves swayed gently in the wind, people got on with their lives like usual.
—
A bright green light shone in the distance, people turned to stare, awestruck
Taiju ran forwards in an attempt to shield Yuzurihara
Senkuu sipped on his monster can
She slipped her ring into her mouth
And they froze together, like an absurd picture
Statues upon statues frozen till eternity
Till one day, he wakes up
—
End of Act One: SKYFALL