Time: ~10:25pm | Date: 2025/09/13

The following hour was one of pure horror.
You would think that 'Doing Nothing' would result in nothing going wrong, but well... you'd be wrong.
It only took 15 minutes for Isuke to get agitated and give up.
Wanting control over the situation after losing, she had asked Haruki to hand over her nail polish.

Well, there was now glass on the floor and a small pool of a fancy looking pink liquid.

You see, Haruki had forgotten how strong she is and slightly miscalculated the strength of her throw.
So, it caused the other 45 minutes to be filled with arguing, cleaning, and shouting.

"Why Would You Even Throw It In The First Place!?" Isuke did not care for the excuses though, or well more like desperate attempts at explanations as Haruki attempted to clarify her intentions.

"Oh my god I already said it I'm sorry okay!? I don't know what else to say nothin' i'm saying even matters right now!" in honesty, the butch is starting to get real done with the shouting and never ending storm of anger thrown at her over this mistake.

Especially since she's already scrubbing the floor as an apology.

Although, she tries to be the bigger person and so before Isuke can jump to the offence about Haruki's own outburst, she speaks again.

"Listen just- I am sorry okay? I'll pay you back- just calm down"

That makes Isuke pause. Pay her back? She can't help but laugh, the tone sounding near mocking.

"Well... maybe you can pay me back... ~ " the words are followed by a hum as she darts her eyes to her nails, before looking to her so-called bodyguard that's currently cleaning up the mess.

"It is one of Isuke's cheap ones after all.. " Isuke let the words linger, observing the way Haruki's eyes light up with hope.
There it is.
The nonverbal of it, that bodyguard of hers was more than just poor if she got this hopeful over the nail polish being cheap.

Haruki, not thinking much more beyond wanting to pay it back and have this be over with, tries to guess the price.

"1000 yen?"

But this answer only seems to upset the other, who's face turns from observing and curious to a disgusted frown.

"Are you kidding? This one was 4300 yen~ "

To that, Haruki groans and crumbles against the floor she was just cleaning.

"Fuckin' impossible" another groan. 4300 yen? That's so fucking excessive for a stupid nail polish.

"Isuke was right~ You really Are poor! Just how poor are you?~" Isuke asks, huffing and crossing her arms while staring down at the other.

Haruki feels unspeakable rage bubble into her chest, glaring up at the other before speaking.

"You're impossible- Look around you! What do you even get from this much money paid back!? It's like a cent to you"

"Are you saying you can't even pay back what you break?" Isuke grits her teeth, annoyed and disgusted at the other's behaviour.

"I'm saying I don't have the luxury of paying for your goddamn nails while my mom's dyin' in a hospital and all my siblings are strugglin'!"

Oh.
Everything went silent, for a good 15 seconds.
Which seems short, but it felt like an eternity.
Isuke even felt the slightest bit of sympathy for the other girl, only for a moment though before realizing and freaking out.

"Whatever. Fine. Don't pay for it." the words are said while Isuke flips her hair and turns around to no longer face Haruki.

Her face is burning, she feels so embarrassed. Why did she even care for a second about this sorry excuse?
Why did she panic this way?
How could she just drop it?
Not she can't go back on her words or she'll look foolish.

"Just don't get anything else broken." she hisses out, heading into another room and never once turning to look at Haruki again.

For her family.
How.. pathetic.
Was pathetic the word Isuke truly was looking for?

That doesn't quite matter as she turns and disappears from Haruki's line of sight.

"... Jeez..." Haruki sighs and looks at the floor she'd been scrubbing. Almost spotless, like it never happened.

What now?

!*!*!*!*!

Meanwhile, Sumireko and Shin'ya had been discussing their circumstances to one another.
Shin'ya thought the fancy looking lady seemed safe enough, especially by the way she had not asked anything but a name.
Plus, he wasn't stupid enough to get kicked out of a house while everything is so chaotic outside.

"My, so you were pursued by these people you say?" Sumireko asks with concern, taking a sip from her cup of tea.

How interesting, Shin'ya's name that is.
Late Night.
Peculiar.

"Yea they were runnin' like crazy tryna get to Mahiru but the stress and shit ended up with me saving her ass- I'm glad to protect her though that girl's went through enough. Real rare that I come 'round in broad daylight though" a huff. Mahiru should be thankful he got her out of there anyways.

Well, in a way he really helped the both of them, considering they share a body.

Sumireko's attention caught onto the detail, this new person she hadn't heard of until now.
Mahiru.

"Mahiru?"

She couldn't stop herself from asking the question, Mahiru.. Midday? A sister maybe? But then where is she? If Shin'ya saved her?

Shin'ya stops his rambling, grimacing. Should he bring up who Mahiru is? Would that be safe? If only Mahiru was around front, or at the very least co-conscious...

But he couldn't feel her, her presence or thoughts or feelings.
There were no responses, there were no delicate emotions felt, there was no passive influence making him want to eat the sweets scattered on fancy looking plates.
It felt almost lonely.

"My, my apologies. Was that too personal?" Sumireko cringes a little, hoping she hadn't offended this curious person.

"Eehh.. It's just kind of a tricky situation y'know" Shin'ya looks off to the distance, almost looking a bit zoned out as he tries not to face Sumireko. He held his hand strangely, as if holding an invisible cigarette to his mouth. A breath in, then out as if smoking it.

That intrigued Sumireko, but she patiently waits for Shin'ya to go on. Not wanting to interrupt with another question.

"We're a system. Err fancy talky term would be we have Dissociative Identity Disorder." a frown, as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth. The disorder itself wasn't exactly the bitter part though, no, it's what caused it.

Her uncle.
The endless abuse.
Until he put an end to it.
Until he saved her.

"Oh." Sumireko couldn't even hide her surprise, no matter how much she had hoped to. It was a mixture of shock and pure intrigue.

The reaction did cause Shin'ya to recoil though, hoping that saying it wasn't a bad choice and that it wouldn't make him seem like a threat or worse; make him a target- no make them both a target.

"Oh my, apologies. How about I introduce myself further? It would be only fair would it not?" The lady speaks the words softly, as if noticing the stress rising inside of the other's body.

Sumireko assumed maybe moving the conversation to her would make Shin'ya feel more safe and comfortable. She doesn't know much about D.I.D but it must have taken a lot of courage to speak of it.

"... Sure" Shin'ya slowly relaxes in the chair, appreciating how there was no further question or mockery or cruel language thrown at him.

It doesn't bother him like it does Mahiru, as in it doesn't cause him too much distress more than anger. He will protect this body and Mahiru at all costs, including punching idiots.

"Well, as I said earlier, My name is Sumireko Hanabusa. I live in this mansion, now alone while my father is away for business. I am set as heir to his business, money, and mansion. Before we go any further with our discussion, I just want to say that what you've opened up about does not change my opinion on welcoming you and letting you reside here temporarily until you are healed and things outside have calmed."

Sumireko thought that as much as she doesn't wanna linger on a topic that seemed to have distressed Shin'ya, she should at least address it positively rather than not give any reaction.

"Alright." Shin'ya nods, agreeing to that. Staying here seemed like the smartest thing right now. A mansion full of staffs and food and safe from outside.
The only worry here would be threats from within, but Sumireko did not seem to be one.

"How about a cup of tea? Nighttime is approaching rapidly, tea always helps me rest well." Sumireko offers, although on her lips resided the smallest of smiles. She seemed almost amused.

Shin'ya noticed it, but he didn't feel alarmed by it.

"Eeh sure gimme some of that tea, can't refuse such an offer" his words were followed by a grin as he throws himself back onto the bed to stretch.

This made the heiress giggle. She couldn't help feeling a small attachment to this new stranger. Something about his behaviour and story pulled her in.

What was his story. What was the cause of these scars, of these fractures in his mind?

!*!*!*!*!
Haruki sighs, kicking her boots onto the ground almost in a spiteful manner.
She should check on Isuke, it's her job.
Groaning, she walks up the stairs she saw the spoiled girl use earlier.

"Isuke?" she calls, only to receive no response.
Or well, almost no response.
She picked up the faintest of groan coming from a room, so without waiting any longer she made her way there.
A knock.
"What." harsh.
"Listen... i'm sorry for breaking your nail polish." being the bigger person and owning up to things was something Haruki learnt at a young age from being pushed into a parenting role for her 9 younger siblings.

The silence in response was heavy, neither of them spoke another word.
Isuke wouldn't apologize, no way.
Was this what it was? An attempt at getting her to apologize?
Angrily, she got up and slammed the door open to Haruki's surprise.

"You should leave them " Isuke had no idea why these words left her mouth, she meant to say maybe 'fuck you' or 'leave me alone' but all that came out was some strange... concern?
Or well, concern in the only way Isuke knew to express it.

"What the fuck do you mean?" Haruki held a certain growl in her voice that made Isuke feel some type of way.
She couldn't quite pin it down, but she wasn't a fan of feeling ways she couldn't understand or control.

The tension between them was rising horribly fast.

"I mean exactly what I said, why are you burdening yourself with-" Isuke's rant was interrupted by an incredibly loud crashing sound coming from downstairs.

Both of their attention moved on from the conversation to turn towards the noise.

"What was that?" Haruki's hand immediately moves to her MK 25, resting on it. It isn't her favoured weapon, and it isn't one that she jumps to or uses impulsively but she had a bad feeling about this. With the chaos going rampant, whatever crashed into the house most likely wasn't well intentioned.

"Stay behind me" her tone was serious, giving a strict order and Isuke felt a rush at that. Her face flushed just the smallest before she scoffed and waved her hand.

"I'm sure it's nothing~ But Fine " she rolls her eyes as if to accentuate the fact she isn't taking it seriously.

"I'm not fucking around, Isuke. I'm going downstairs do whatever the fuck you want." Haruki wasn't amused one bit by the other's constant bratty behaviour.

"Tch. Who do you think you are?" some kind of fire bubbled deep from within inside of Isuke, she hated receiving orders. Especially from the likes of Her.

"Someone employed to protect your spoiled fuckin' ass."

"Fine, i'm staying here then " she sits on the bench placed against the wall of the open space connecting the halls to the stairs.
Haruki teeth grit together as she shook her head and focused on her task, carefully walking down the stairs.

Peeking between the marbled spindles of the railing, what she saw made her stomach churn.
What was she even looking at?

This... person.. no this thing. There was no way this was a human.
A knife could be observed stuck deep within whatever creature this was, deep within it's eye socket- as if this in itself wasn't enough whatever this thing was could be seen limping as it dragged it's broken leg with it.
It was broken at the femur, the bone showing as it pierced through the skin in a gruesome way that Haruki wouldn't be able to forget any time soon.

Haruki almost fell from her initial panic as she tried to back away.
"Wh- What the fuck is this." she mutters out, genuinely terrified.

The 'person' groaned and trashed around, throwing it's body like dead weight to get itself around leaving blood on about everything it came in contact with.

"Isuke- Isuke this shit isn't human-" Haruki tried to be quiet, but Isuke didn't catch what the other said nor had any context so she only shouted in response.

"Can't hear you! "

Fuck. The thing snapped it's head directly towards the noise, noticing Haruki from between the bars that had served as a peeping hole up until now.
Haruki barely had a chance to react before it started dashing, straight up dashing even with it's broken leg.
It made horrifying screams and for once in her life, Haruki was genuinely scared.
Without thinking she grabbed her gun as swiftly as she could, pressing the decocker to lower the hammer safely as she's been taught before aiming.

She thought of screaming back, of shouting to stop moving to stop approaching her. But it all seemed a waste of time, all too much of a risk.
This thing wasn't human, and from the way it dashed towards her it didn't seem like it wanted to be reasoned with or have a talk.

Her heartbeat felt loud in her ear. She felt frozen for a few seconds, before her body reacted quicker than her mind could catch up with.

She fired 4 times, a loud noise echoing through the insanely huge house with each pull of the trigger.
She stayed there, paralyzed and fallen back on the stairs from tripping earlier.

She aimed for the legs, even through instinct trying to avoid defaulting to killing.
The first shot hit precisely on the knee, ripping the flesh and ligaments only adding to the gruesome horror she had been witnessing of blood and bones.
The second shot hit just above the knee on a lower pressure and less brutal impact as the weight of the shot lowered from the mechanism of the gun.
The third shot missed, while the fourth hit the knee a second time.

This caused the limb to detach from the rest of the body, leaving the creature to fall over forward from losing the one leverage it had been relying on to move. Haruki could hear the way the knife dug deeper into the head of the person as it fell face first onto the floor with no attempt whatsoever to soften its fall with its arms or hands.

Frozen.
Haruki was frozen.
Was it over?
Was this it?
Had it passed out or finally died?

She couldn't move, her hands continued to shake with her gun extended in front of her.
Her ears were ringing yet her heartbeat resonated through her head.

Everything felt slow, felt numb, felt far and yet so close.
She felt like her entourage was made of static, or perhaps like she was looking at a video game with high graphics.
Her hands didn't feel right, the stairs didn't look right.
Nothing felt or looked right.
Her brain buzzed loudly, accompanied by what felt like fog.

She couldn't process what just happened.
She had completely dissociated, barely tuning back in to hear the end of her name.

"-ruki?"

"Haruki?"

"Hello!?" ah... that tone of voice. Right. She was... she was at that house. She was looking after that one stupid spoiled rotten brat.
Isuke.
This is where it all started right.
Her job to protect Isuke.
Protect her from... from this?
Is this what she was protecting her from? Was there more of these .. these things?

Isuke's annoyance slowly became worry, against her own will.
She didn't like that twist in her heart, that way that she wanted Haruki to answer her.
She had no idea what happened, she just heard screaming and shots and all she could see walking up was Haruki shaking and laying in the stairs.

"What happened? Isuke is getting tired of waiting " she asks, even with her worry her tone is harsh and near inconsiderate, masking her concern through selfishness and a third person perspective.

"... I-" Haruki dropped her gun, looking at her hands and then shakily pointing to the bottom of the stairs.

"It's... dead..."

It's dead? Isuke walked onto the staircase, going down a few stairs to get a better view as it was one that turns as it goes down.
What. Was. That.

Blood everywhere, so many fucking things broken?

"What the fuck happened!?" She shouts, now upset. Without thinking, she stomps down the stairs towards whatever thing is now laying in a puddle of darkened near gooey blood.

"What IS this thing!?" part of her felt scared, and she didn't know how to handle that. That part of her that felt fear reacted with impulse and in a quick motion she kicked the carcass.

"Stupid sh-" a groan was heard, and before she realized exactly just what she got into, her ankle was grabbed.

"GET OFF ME" she quickly kicked her leg to try and free it from the hold and with luck she succeeded, quickly backing away while frantically looking for something to defend herself with but just as she was about to grab one of the many luxurious statuettes to throw- another shot was fired.

Directly into the head of whatever creepy crawling thing this was.
It splattered blood and bits and made a mess that for once in her entire life, Isuke did not mind.

Her hands held tightly onto that statuette, as if she expected this thing to come back to life any moment.

"Are you okay?" Haruki's words were genuine, and Isuke was too shocked by the situation to feel agitation at the care.

"..." yet couldn't bring herself to thank Haruki, only nodding and diverting her gaze. She felt weak, in truth. She felt pathetic that someone had saved her, she always imagined she could protect herself in any scenario, that she would come out a victor of any fights or challenges.
That's what her mama and papa raised her for, success.

And yet here she was, saved by some random bodyguard she consistently had been whining about not needing.
This body guard who had come into her space and threw it all upside down.
She looked up, eyes meeting Haruki's.
It was quiet, almost too quiet.

What was there to do or say? There was glass and blood everywhere, a dead body. Haruki didn't feel like things were real anymore.

"I'll... clean up.." she mumbles, trying to break the silence.

And for once in her life, Isuke followed along.

"I'll help." the words left a bitter taste in her mouth that she sweetened by adding more to it.

"Lucky for you Isuke's not completely selfish " it was a way to protect herself, to distance herself from the situation that felt so overwhelming.

One they would eventually get used to.

NOTES:

Well... sorry for writing this so late figuring out how 2 write n do art w/ my carpel tunnel + arthritis RIP. Anywayyys glad to write another chapter and sorry its soooo damn late but better than never. Hope its good, i tried to make it much more realistic and also overall... better and more in character according to the situation

Here Isuke does keep her prideful behaviour but also isn't as desensitized to death as in canon so I wanted that to impact her character in some way.

Anyways, this is like a major upgrade from the old writing :sob: im so glad to be rewriting this and making these characters feel more alive and more like my own in some way too, as im running with some of my own personal headcanons for them.