Chapter 3
Usagi woke up to the caretaker's morning call and a loud rap against her shoji doors. Groaning Usagi popped her head out of the blankets, grimacing at the street lights that came through the thin blue curtains.
She could hear the rustling of the younger children on the move, yelling and screaming as the dashed for the bathrooms. Slowly Usagi stretched out of the covers, yawning loudly she didn't have to look to know it was around six-thirty in the morning. Rolling over till her bottom hit the edge her bed, she fumbled with her bare feet for her slippers before she stood and left her room.
It has been three days since Takara left. Takara had decided to continue with her education, go to high school and attempt college for a higher degree. Her chances with a guarantor, her grandmother, increased her chances in getting a home, a job, a life. Here in Japan if had no one at your back you will fall. Had Takara decided to quit the education system she would have been forced out of the orphanage, like Tomiko. She would have been forced to move and live at a Group Home with other orphan teenagers who had quit the education system, like Tomiko...
Shuffling towards the unisex bathrooms she ignored the usual stench of urine that permeated the air during the colder seasons. Usagi moved around the mass of younger children to stand in front of the mirror. Two older boys, Shinozuke and Hamato, greeted her as they started to brush their teeth languidly, while she threaded her fingers through her knotted braid.
"Hey! Hey! Shino-chan!" Shinozuke hummed deeply as he lazily turned his tall, lanky stature down. "Can you show how to make that airplane!"
Usagi saw from the mirror little Matsu.
"Piss off kid," the teenager kicked Matsu to the ground, sputtering toothpaste onto his shirt "I've got better things to do." Matsu wailed out the door.
Hamato mumbled. "Yeah, like what dick-head?" spitting out paste then sucking in water straight from faucet.
"Shut your face! I'm leaving this shithole! My dad rocked up here the other day, wants me to work for him. So you know what that means?! I get to leave this fucking sticken arse-end of a prison, get me some money. A life!"
Hamato hummed indifferently, swishing the water in the mouth before spitting out the contents loudly. He ruffled his bushy hair and walked over to cubicle without closing the door. Usagi just saw the beginning of his butt crack and the long constant stream of urine echoed the cold room. He finished as Usagi was brushing through her hair. He did not flush the toilet, nor did he wash afterwards.
"Oi flush the toilet! No one wants to smell your piss you dirty mongrel!" Shinozuke yelled after the teenager. He scoffed then pointed to one the younger girls "You! Flush that piss!"
"I don't want to." she cowered as Shinozuke approached her, he bared down at her with his tall stature. Shinozuke grabbed her arm and roughly shoved into the cubicle. Usagi blocked the girls whimpers, finishing with her newly braided hair before grabbing her own toothbrush.
A flush and "See it wasn't too hard now was it?" the girl whimpered off.
Shinozuke stood behind Usagi as she brushed her teeth, more vigorously than the boys. Usagi rinsed her mouth and looked back at the teenage boy through the mirror. "So when are you leaving?"
Shinozuke scratched his head, "Dad said sometime after New Years."
"Hnn, so not long then. What does he do?"
"My dad's a fisherman. He'll be going out to sea soon and I'm going with him." A large grin was plastered on his face. "I'll come and see you when I come back, yeah?"
Usagi walked towards the exit "Why?"
He chuckled as he sauntered towards her. "What do you mean 'why?'" as he draped an arm around her shoulders. Usagi roughly pushed them off and walked off.
"What's wrong? Don't you like me."
Usagi simply ignored him.
He cursed and yelled after her. "Cheh, whatever. You're a mongrel! A reject!"
Usagi sat in her usual spot in the dining area surrounded by younger children. The orphanage manager, Yamahato Keiko, stood by the dinning doors and began to clap her hands loudly, "Pay attention, pay attention! I have an announcement to make!" the children's murmuring quickly went silent, "I would like to inform you that Miss Chisuke Chio-san will be leaving us after two years working in here at the Kanakawa Orphanage. Please pay your respects."
The whole dining room stood and in uneven unison shouted out and bowed "Thank you for all you have done." Chio-san, a tired, sad-eyed looking woman bowed back towards the children.
So many care-takers have come and gone, most staying no longer than two years. Chio-san mostly did the evening shifts and a thought struck Usagi. Who would let Usagi in at night when she worked the late shifts?
Looking down at her half-eaten breakfast Usagi felt sick. Curfew for was nine for her age group. Takara was gone, Chio-san tolerated opening the doors after hours but with her gone too...
Usagi jumped out of her seat and ran past the dining doors. "Wait!"
The two women stopped, both waited expectantly, "What is it Usagi-san?" Yamahato asked.
Turning her eyes away from the orphanage manager Usagi turned to Chio.
"Chio-san...I..."
"Chisuke-san. She is no longer a care-taker here." Yamahato exhaled evenly.
Startled by the managers words Usagi became tongue tied. A large knot formed in her throat, words she wanted to let out stuck. Her eyes left Chio-san's face wandering from her feet to the walls. Her arms tensed and slightly shook. She tried to swallow the knot.
"Usagi-san do you have something to say or not?!" Yamahato asked, her eyes narrowing.
Pointing her head down Usagi shook her head, loss for words, what should say anyway? Yamahato released a long-winded sigh "Very well, go back to the dining hall then." Usagi slowly turned around and strode back to her seat. The remains of her breakfast had disappeared when she returned, eaten by guilty eyes that sat around her. Sighing she took her empty plate back up to the kitchen counter and walked back to her dormitory.
She leaned against her desk watching both pedestrians and cars flow by. Today was the 24th December and at dusk young couples were going to parade the city, hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder. Usagi had seen quite a few couples since she started her part-time job at '6-11 Convenience Store'. She was fascinated the way their eyes shone, a glint... a glitter, something magical was happening with these couples. Ugly, old, young, beautiful or plain, each had that something...
And while Usagi slowly placed her winter coat over her 6-11 uniform she heard Yamahato scream at the younger children, her shrill voice sending shivers down her spine. Zipping up her coat she quickly trotted down the stairs. Quickly shoving her boots she called out "I'm going!" towards the empty hall and left the building. Paying a cheap bus fare to her work, Usagi sat at the front seat again. Looking outside the window Usagi had already spotted a few couples hand-in-hand, blissfully ignoring the cold weather. She blew onto the window and began to trace two hands holding before she had to get off.
When the bus doors closed behind her and drove off a shrill scream broke out suddenly further down the road. Many heads looked up and around, a few stopped even to look back. Even Usagi waited with baited breath, but no further screams came, business went back as usual. Following the lead of everyone else she proceeded towards her destination. Maybe this happens often? Usagi had never left the orphanage except for school. She only started working at 6-11 back in November, nearly two months now. What was she to know the norm that happened outside the walls of the orphanage. Who was she to judge the behavior of normal people.
When Usagi entered the glass automated doors of the store more screams and shouts rose from behind her. "What the hell?" spoke a customer as he walked passed Usagi to investigate. He quickly staggered back as a powerful gush of wind tore through sidewalk outside, shattering the stores glass windows in. Usagi felt her body pushed back, the force hitting the whole of her body where she instinctively closed her eyes as glass shards tore through into her clothes and skin. Her body collided against the shelves by the wall, pain shot through her body from the upper and lower back as well as her thighs before slumping down onto the floor in a heap.
When Usagi eyes opened to a blur, facing away from the store entrance she deciphered the outline of the owner's daughter lying face-flat behind the counter. Her ears rung, a wave nausea hit her as she moved onto her fours, the blur following her line of vision. She could hear her own breaths and her the echo of her rapid heartbeat within muted ears. Her vision slowly cleared as she breathed in evenly, she spotted the customer lying against magazine rack, a blood streaming down his face.
Usagi gazed down at her bloody scratched hands, a few pieces of chipped glass fell from her palms as she rose them closer to her face. Brushing them off she gently Usagi carefully stood up and took a wobbly step forward towards the scene in front of her.
Cars, furniture and bodies were littered everywhere. The sidewalk was all but rubble.
And everything was quiet.
Taking a tentative step forward outside Usagi gasped when an unnatural wail screamed to her right. She craned her neck towards the wail, wind and metal crashing against cement.
She spotted a girl, coughing, as she run out from smoky debris, away from the wailing screams. Short hair, wearing a short blue fuku, this girl wore an eye shield and held a small pink mini-computer. A small black cat ran beside her.
...Who?
They stopped a several meters away from her. Usagi watched as the cat sprinted back toward hissing wails, the fuku girl furiously typing into her computer, her torso rose and fell rapidly.
"Mercury run!" she looked up from the small screen to then follow the cat down the street in the direction of Usagi.
When the fuku girl noticed her she stopped mid-run and gaped "Luna! Someone is alive!" A booming crash tore through Usagi's right again and she watched as gangly fingers grasped a fallen metal beam and a large snake-like creature emerged, hissing from corner building.
A white glove grasped Usagi's arm. "You have to leave, hide! It's too dangerous!" The eye-shield was cracked across the fuku girl's line of sight, blood stained her face and teeth, dirt all over body, tears across her uniform.
The monster released a chortled growl, coming out onto the ruined street, in the crook of its back a large ball of light shone, pulsed. It hissed at them, opening its maw wider and with more teeth then was physically possible before it disappeared up inside a purple mist.
Sirens rang and the hold on Usagi's arm slackened. A team of men rushed towards her, "Oi! Are you ok!?" they called out. A pair of men in white helmets with cross signs and wearing light blue jackets came into her view. "Girl! Are you ok?" and pushed her to seat against the rubble.
Usagi gaped as more men and women flooded the decrepit scene.
Who were these strange men were touching her, asking if she was alright. Usagi breaths began to quicken, her heart felt as if it was about to pop out of her chest. A man in a dark uniform approached them "Girl, do you know what happened?" Her head became heavy as darkness encroached the corners of her vision. Their voices no longer made sense as her breathing overtook hearing and then black.
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No Beta
Also, do I have to increase the rating from T to M?
I was quite surprised when I saw my emails. When I submitted Chapter 2, the whole idea and fanfic wasn't even 24hrs old. So thank you! Normally I avoid 'angsty' fics cause I'm a sook, but here I am writing one… It really is nice to know that there are people interested in this out-of-the-blue concept. The basic idea of the whole fanfic is sorta fixed, just need to fill in the gaps.
While this fanfic is not exactly portraying the whole truth about Japanese orphans, it is in essence the truth. I'll start writing the basic facts about orphans in Japan. So anything I write in the fanfic, in relation to how orphanages run and how orphans see the world once they leave the facilities, will be written down after each chapter.
One mistake I did was that Japanese teenagers can acquire work at the age 15, not 14 as I have. A minor mistake cause in 'Stralia! (Australia) kids can take up part-time/casual jobs at 14. I ain't fussed about it. I made up the 9o'clock curfew as well.
From what I understand Japan calls their Orphanages "Alternate Care". I'm sticking with Orphanage for simplicity sake.
The age to quit school is 15.
If an orphan decides to quit school they get placed in a "Group home for independent living". They can live there till their 19. So basically, a home for kids between 15 to 19 year olds.
Children can be placed in "Alternate Care" for reasons other than losing your parents. Reasons can be: neglected or abused, parents are incapable of taking care of their kids, abandonment.
Care-takers are overworked! Emotionally, physically stressed etc. They don't usually stay any longer than 2 years.
While most "Alternate Care" institutions are modern, clean, safe there are some that are in poor condition which I'm using to incorporate into this fanfic.
Having a benefactor/ guarantor/supporter is a big thing in Japan apparently, crucial even! Even if it's to rent a home or acquiring a job. If you don't have one… well then… you're screwed.
And from what I've read the orphans are really sheltered. Emotionally stunted, with how to behave etc. Never been taught anything about the way the world works cause everything is done by their caretakers. They don't develop the normal skills we find… normal because everything is placed out for them. So when they leave the orphan facilities they're really going… entering a whole new world with no one to help them and show them the way or how things work. Let that sink in…
ALSO, 24th December is Japanese Valentines day! Who knew? I certainly didn't!
But again, thank you for the encouragement to write this fanfic. It really does bring out that warm fuzzy feeling in your gut. I hope I'm not disappointing.
