I know, I'm a little late in posting this- I've got a bad habit of underestimating the amount of work I have. I apologize for the delay.
But the first chapter is finally posted, so please enjoy!
All characters and overall plotlines of the story belong to Sanada Makoto.
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Chapter One: The arrival of Shiori Kanzaki
Here it is dark, the dim glow of the incandescent bulbs the only source of light. One might observe that they were in a narrow hallway based on the row of wall lamps, each warm, flickering pool illuminating a piece of the path before being swallowed by the blackness.
The girl did not consciously notice this as she stood under one of the lights. Instead, she was focussed on the faint crying which could be heard above the electric buzzing. At first, it was only a soft whimper, but as she continued to stand there it grew, gradually becoming a desperate wailing which hurt her ears. What creature could be so sad, so tortured, as to make such a horrible sound? she asks herself as she grimaces in pain. She put her hands over her ears, but they fail to provide any buffer against the crying, which somehow continues to become louder until it's almost deafening.
She finds herself running, trying desperately to escape the cacophony which assaults her senses, but it is ever present, almost seeming to follow her as she sprints down the endless corridor she finds herself in. Her muscles begin to ache and her lungs beg for a reprieve, but she can't stop. Somehow, she knows that if she stops, that hideous noise will claw its way through her ear to her mind and tear her very being apart. Yet a more rational side reminds herself that she can't keep running forever- she will tire eventually, she will slow down, and then that, thing, will take her. The only question is when.
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The sudden jolt of the train is an uncomfortable, but nonetheless appreciated disturbance as Shiori awakens to find herself leaning against the cool windowpane by her seat. Hmmm, I must have dozed off, she thinks to herself sleepily as she opens her eyes, squinting at the sunlight which penetrates the cloudy sky and into the cabin. The space had been surprisingly full when she first got on in the early hours of the morning, mostly travelling businessmen or families on vacation she assumed. But now it was nearly empty, only a half dozen or so people remaining, sleeping as she had or else occupying themselves with their papers and laptops.
As she stretches her arms and back and readjusts to the stiff chair, she ponders the fleeting images from her dream. For the past few months, she had been having unusual dreams more often than not (Though really, she supposed, there wasn't such as a thing as a normal dream). While most of them quickly faded from her memory, there were some fragments which she could recall- running, people whose faces and voices she couldn't quite make out, and that dreadful crying, always the crying... no, she could never forget that. While they typically left her with a sense of confusion, they also left a feeling of tightness in her chest. She had spoken to the therapist a few times about her concerns, and she knew that it was probably her exhaustion and stress from school and such that were the cause. But knowing that did little to ease the discomfort she felt at times.
Trying to push the thoughts from her mind, she reaches under her seat for her handbag and shuffles through its contents until she finds her prize- the breakfast box she bought at the station as she waited to board the train. Delicately removing the and band keeping it together, she smiles a bit as she lifts lid to see the little package before her. A boiled egg and piece of grilled salmon sit together, while a little container of pickled vegetable rest in the other corner. A dried plum is perched atop the bed of rice, and nestled between the box and the rice are a few fresh slices of peaches. She quickly digs in, and for a brief moment she feels at peace while watching the countryside zoom by.
"Attention: the train will arrive in XX prefecture in two minutes." the conductor's voice blares harshly through the speakers, causing the girl to sit up like a rod while awakening those who had still been sleeping. Realizing that this is her stop, she hurriedly puts away her meal while making sure to grab her coat and bag in the overhead compartment as the train begins to slow down. As the doors begin to open, she takes one last look to check that she doesn't leave anything behind, her hand slipping into her pocket to ensure that it was still there: the faded photograph she had been carrying since that night many months ago. With that, she walks off the train and into the late morning sunlight.
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The train station (If you can call it that) Shiori gets off of is nothing like the fancy, modern terminal she entered early this morning. There's the physical concrete platform, with a handful of old benches stretched along it, and at the far end there's a small wooden pavilion next to the stairs. The surrounding landscape is rural, consisting of a patchwork of fields, large plots of dirt (Farms probably, she thought absentmindedly) and thick woods. In the near distance she can she the dark blue outlines of mountains jutted into the pale blue sky, and for all her looking she's unable to see any skyscrapers around. She can't recall ever spending much time out of the city, besides the rare trip to the beach as a child, but the knot in her stomach loosens slightly at this foreign, serene environment.
No one is on the platform when she arrives, and she is the only passenger getting off here. With the steel doors closing, the train slowly resumes its voyage, and Shiori finds her seemingly alone. "Hmm, it's no big deal- I just have to find where the bus stop is and I'll be set." she tells herself, trying to convince herself that it is true. Swinging her duffel bag over her shoulder, she marches down the platform towards the pavilion, hoping to find a information kiosk or something. A ticket booth is indeed underneath, but it has been abandoned, a paper note taped on the window reading "On lunch break, will be back in a few hours". Well that's not much help, she thinks to herself with a frown, looking around for any information on the bus. After wandering aimlessly around the area for a good five minutes, she finally spots a rusted sign hidden by the foliage of a large bush. Moving towards the road, she finds a single wooden bench beside the sign, a small plate listing the schedule for the local bus routes. Looking down it, she can't help but groan as she sees the schedule for Azakawa Village- she has to wait nearly an hour for the next bus.
"Oh well... at least it gives me time to finish breakfast." Shiori says, and upon dropping her stuff on the other side of the bench, pulls out her box and happily resumes her meal.
xxx Three hours later xxx
"It's not coming, is it." She says this as a statement rather than a question, sighing heavily as she checks her phone again. She had looked over the schedule numerous time, checking to see if she had misread it or missed some valuable detail in the fine print. But nothing provided her with an explanation. The bus was supposed to arrive two hours ago, but in all that time, not a single vehicle had passed by her as she sat on the bench by the dirt road. Nor had the unknown kiosk attendant returned from their 'couple hour long' lunch break. Maybe there was a different Azakawa Village, and she had just stopped at an abandoned station in the middle of nowhere... the only signs of civilization were the electric utility poles which dotted the road and the train platform itself.
What was she going to do? She wasn't sure when the next bus (If any at all) would be showing up, and the train only ran in the mornings, which meant she might need to spend the night there... she had her phone still, so she could try to call a friend from the city to see if they had a number for a taxi, but did taxi's run all the way out here? The uncertainty of the situation was maddening, and she could only put her head in her hands as she slumped down, feeling completely hopeless. Why had she even decided to go on this stupid trip?! She could've been back at home working, saving money for school, or even gone away to Okinawa like some of her friends had. But no, she decided she would go out to a town she couldn't even remember hearing of, let alone visiting, with her only guide being a single photograph she had found hidden in a clock...
"I don't even know if he'll still be there, or if he's alive." she murmurs to herself as she pulls out the faded photograph from her pocket, smoothing out the creases from folding it so many times. It's one of the only pictures she could find from when she was young, but she recognizes the messy hair and bright yellow t-shirt easily as a round-faced Shiori looks back at her with a beaming smile. Her mother and father are standing next to her, hands on her shoulders as they smile- they look so much younger, carefree even, compared to the tired, weathered figures she remembers them as. But it's the fourth figure who's so interesting to her- an old man, maybe in his sixties, standing next to her father. He's a bit stooped over, and the hair which remains on his balding forehead is a silver grey, but his face is crinkled in a gentle, all knowing expression of peace and contentment. The man who she only hopes to be her grandfather...
"HEY!"
Startled from her trance by the noise, Shiori quickly looks up, blinking once or two to make sure what she was seeing was real. A man in a uniform was standing in the road, a police cruiser parked to the side. He looked to be not particularly old or young- late twenties or early thirties in her opinion, and though he was frowning, he seemed irritated rather than genuinely upset. "What are you doing out here? It'll be getting dark soon." he notes, pointing at the darkening purple blue sky. "I uh... I was waiting for the bus to Azakawa Village." she replies, and at her words his eyebrow furrow. "Bus? They stopped running the bus to Azakawa a few months ago, since hardly anyone ever visits..." "...Oh..." is all she can say in response, a confusing mix of disappointment and exhaustion descending on her once more. He looks equally unhappy for her, his expression softening, and after a moment of awkward silence, he clears his throat.
"So... do you need a ride?"
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AN: Ah, I'm sorry this took so long! I'm horrible when it comes to posting stuff, so smite me if you must...
I tried to make sure I gave a good chunk, partly to make up for my lateness, and also just to get some stuff set up. I know this chapter is kind of slow, but I just want everything to be prepped for the rest of the story so we can really get rolling- people will start showing up more in the next few chapters.
Thank you for those who have read and given me their feedback on the story so far- it's much appreciated. :) In trying to be more realistic as to how much time I have with my schedule, I'm going to say that chapters will probably come out on a bi-weekly basis for the time being. If I have time for more, then I'll to get a few extras in, but I don't want to make any promises.
Anyways, let me know what you think!