Of course after I'm like "yeah this week is lax" it becomes hectic. Life just has to turn me into a liar :'(
Just a quick side note to tatzecom nah m8 that didn't sound creepy af so don't worry~ btw im still so honored that you made a dlc for Secluded Lovers :'''') I'll update SL soon i pinky promise
And yo is it just me or do I not have many peeps enjoying this story RIP~ Y'know what though it's all good because I really enjoy writing this story atm so for you few peepsies reading i gotchu some updates~
Chapter 4 y'all
-o-
Misaki let out a loud yawn, stretching her arms and legs, successfully dragging the fluffy blanket downwards with her feet.
She popped open one of her eyes, glancing at the clock to see that it was 7:32AM. Misaki lay there still and quietly, noting that there weren't any noises coming from outside. She figured they probably weren't awake—well, she normally wouldn't be either, but due to her school starting early she was actually supposed to be up by 6:30.
Speaking of school, wouldn't anyone notice I was gone? I mean, I didn't play a huge role there, but maybe a teacher or two noticed? she thought. Ah, that Takumi guy probably found out a way to take me out of the school. Probably told them I was transferring or something.
Not being able to go back to sleep with all these thoughts racing through her head, Misaki lazily climbed out of the warm and comfortable sheets and stood on her two legs. A bit lightheaded from the sudden shift of positions, she stumbled over to the side as her arm hit the expensive-looking white wardrobe with a pink trim.
"Ah!"
Misaki jolted away from the wardrobe as she heard a squeal come from somewhere beside her. She definitely wasn't the one who did that, so who was it?
"...Who's there?" Misaki asked hesitantly, not even sure herself if she wanted to know at this point.
The wardrobe's doors flung open, scaring the crap out of Misaki. "It's me!" It exclaimed. Only then did Misaki notice there was a mirror inside the wardrobe, with Sakura inside of it.
Officially signing out of her life as of now, Misaki threw open her bedroom door and made a run for it. She let out an ear-piercing shriek as she thudded down the halls and practically hopped down each staircase.
"Satsuki! Maria! ANYONE, HELP!"
"Oh dear, who's yelling?" a voice asked, which she recognized as Maria's.
"Isn't that Misaki?" asked another feminine voice that she couldn't recognize this time.
"Yes, it's me! Maria, where are you?!" she exclaimed frantically.
"Why, I'm right up here, dearest!"
Misaki glanced up at the ceiling cautiously, not quite sure what to expect anymore after that previous experience.
"W…Where are you?"
"Look at the chandelier."
Misaki bit her tongue to suppress a scream. Up in the chandelier were small flames, and one especially large flame with a mirror image of Maria shown in it.
"I'm hallucinating," Misaki murmured. She pinched one of her cheeks, and seeing that the image of Maria hadn't gone away, she slapped herself.
"Hey, you'll hurt yourself!" Maria exclaimed, trying to reach out and stop Misaki—only to remember that she couldn't.
Thud!
"Oh dear," she gasped, watching as the raven haired girl fell to the floor unconscious. The poor girl had fainted. That's right—Satsuki and Sakura didn't warn her beforehand.
"Oh dear is right," the featherduster agreed, hopping off the dining table and onto the marble floor. She wandered over to Misaki's unconscious body and jumped on her face, moving her soft, fluffy feathers across her cheeks.
Unfortunately, even this didn't awake the unconscious Misaki. Maria and the featherduster sighed.
"What should we do, Erika?" Maria asked.
The featherduster, Erika, let out an exasperated sigh.
"Looks like we're going to have to tell Takumi," she answered. Maria frowned.
"Do we have to?"
"Do we have a choice?" Erika countered. It was true, neither of the two could exactly take care of or handle her in their states. Maria being stuck to the ceiling wasn't exactly ideal, and Erika was far too small to carry her—not to mention she didn't even have any limbs.
"I guess not."
-o-
"Misaki," the raven haired lady slurred, dropping her keys on a nearby counter. Misaki set down the plate she was washing, turned off the sink, and wandered to front door.
Misaki was only nine years old at the time—yet very responsible and mature for her age.
"Mother," she sighed, clearly disappointed and maybe even a little let down about something. "You were out drinking again." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
"Nooo," her mom denied. "No drinkity drinky." Obviously this was a lie, because first off where else would she be out so late, and second, what kind of grown adult says "drinkity drinky"?
"Suzuna and Dad are asleep now," Misaki informed her, tired of seeing her in this same state every single night. Her mom let out a gasp.
"I kne~eew he was cheating on me," she sang as if it were something to be happy about. Misaki pressed her lips together.
"Suzuna is your daughter," she said, but decided to give up since it was impossible to reason with a drunk Minako Ayuzawa.
Completely disregarding what Misaki said, she continued to speak. "It's a-okay though because I'm cheating too!" she giggled, before walking to a couch and collapsing on it.
Misaki tore her eyes away from her mom's disheveled appearance. Messy raven hair identical to hers, cloudy amber eyes, her shirt buttoned sloppily and crooked.
Trying to force every negative thought out of her head, Misaki retreated back to the kitchen to finish washing the dishes.
-o-
Misaki's eyes popped open, her breathing heavier than usual from the dream—well, no, flashback she had.
"You're awake."
She stiffened at the unfamiliar gruff voice, but managed to reply with a measly, "Yeah."
The owner of the voice walked into her sight, and Misaki swore her eyes were now playing tricks on her. A beast?!
Misaki slumped back onto the bed, her head hitting the fluffy white pillow roughly. "Can you send someone in to knock me out again?" she requested. Misaki herself wasn't even too sure if she was serious or not.
He scoffed. "Enough of that nonsense. You've already seen a talking chandelier, wardrobe, and a featherduster. Are you really that shocked?" he inquired.
Intentionally avoiding his question, Misaki instead asked, "What featherduster? I only saw the other two."
He mentally noted that she didn't answer his original question, but didn't mention it. "Ah, I guess you didn't meet her then. I'll introduce you and Erika later," he offered.
"Sounds good," she replied with a nod.
"Yeah."
There was an awkward silence for a good period of time. It was exactly one minute and twenty-three seconds—Misaki knew because she was counting.
"So," she started in an attempt to get a conversation going. "Why aren't you an object like everyone else? And actually, while we're on this topic, who are you?"
His emerald green eyes blazed with some kind of emotion she couldn't exactly pinpoint as he gave her a sharp look.
"I'm not obligated to answer you, I do hope you know that," he informed her. "And you can call me Takumi. Now that I know you're fine, I'll be on my way," he said bluntly, holding true to his words and marching straight out her bedroom door before closing it with a slam. Takumi…oh, that one blonde haired guy with the green eyes I saw yesterday?
Flinching slightly at the loud noise, she pulled the large, clean white covers up to her chin. Misaki, you're dreaming. Either that or you're completely delusional, she kept telling herself.
She glanced up at the clock. 10:26AM. She still had the whole day ahead of her. But one question kept bothering Misaki. Why were they normal human beings yesterday, but not today? Also, the fact that Takumi had such a horrible temper made Misaki want to totally go off on him, but she had to remind herself not to for her own safety.
Deciding to get up and out of bed, Misaki mentally prepared herself for anything to come. After all, she'd already witnessed a lot this morning—who knows what's next?
-o-
"Uh, hey," Misaki greeted awkwardly as she went downstairs.
"Oh, are you okay?!" Maria asked worriedly.
"Yeah, you just passed out!" A featherduster piped in. Aha, so this is the Erika he was talking about.
"Ahaha…I just wasn't expecting that," she laughed nervously. Maria and Erika made sounds of agreements.
"Hey, no worries," Erika said. "No harm done."
"Thanks," Misaki said. She wasn't exactly sure what it was for—maybe for their understanding? The free home? The fact that they were totally unlike that rude beast named Takumi or whatever? Well, whatever the reasoning, she was grateful for one thing or another.
"Don't thank us for anything," Maria said, confusing Misaki. "We're basically trapping you here for our own selfish reasons, after all. You have no reason to feel gratitude towards us."
Misaki blinked. "But—"
"No buts," she insisted. Misaki glanced up at the chandelier and could see Maria smiling. "Now, let's introduce you to all the staff here!"
-o-
Misaki shifted in the cushioned red chair. The lights in the large room were dimmed—thanks to Maria, of course, who controlled the lights—and there was currently a fortress of tables set up to look like a stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen," came Maria's voice. Curiously, Misaki glanced up at the chandelier.
A sharp whisper could be distinctly heard from below. "Our only audience member is a lady!" she pointed out. Maria giggled.
"Why, how right you are," she said. "Let's start with you first. Misaki, this is Erika. She's a featherduster for half the day," Maria introduced. Misaki watched as Erika twirled around the stage built of tables and winked at her. Her feathery bristles were a reddish hue, which Misaki assumed might be the color of her hair in her other form. Unlike Maria and Sakura who had mirror images of themselves reflected somewhere, she was simply a duster…with a face.
"Now now, let's not get too flirty with the new girl, Erika."
Erika laughed. "You know I don't swing that way," she shrugged—well, tried to. She didn't really have shoulders and all. Erika hopped off the "stage" and stood to the side.
Misaki decided that she liked Erika. Sure she had sass, but also a great humor and a caring girl. I wonder what she looks like as a human? Misaki wondered.
"Alright—next up, Satsuki! She's a teapot," Maria announced. Misaki smiled as she recognized her name. Satsuki was the purple haired one, if I remember correctly.
Somehow, Misaki felt strangely safe in this peculiar place. Sure, she was surrounded by talking objects, and this castle was nothing like home, but everyone was so welcoming and kind that she couldn't help but almost enjoy it.
A white teapot with a dark purple top hopped onto the stage. Her all too familiar round eyes and happy-go-lucky attitude confirmed her suspicions that it was indeed the purple haired woman she'd talked with yesterday.
"MISAKI AND TAKUMI~!" she sang, before leaping off the stage and joining Erika on the side. Misaki's face flushed a dark red color.
"W-What?!" she exclaimed. "I don't even know him that well!" she defended. Satsuki giggled.
"Don't worry, you'll get to know him plenty!" she "reassured" the girl, although it simply made Misaki feel less so.
"Well, what if I don't want to?" she asked, crossing one leg over the other.
She grinned. "Then, you're just going to have to deal with it, now won't you?" Satsuki shrugged.
"Ahem," Maria interrupted. Misaki jumped in surprise, obviously startled by the sudden noise. she made eye contact with Maria and grinned sheepishly, while the chandelier gave her a wink that told her it was no big deal. "Next is Sakura, also known as Misaki's personal wardrobe!"
Misaki gasped as she saw the large white wardrobe with a pink trim walk up onto the table stage. Of course, she'd already known it was Sakura from the moment she saw her face in the mirror, but Misaki still felt guilty for running off like that.
"I'm so sorry about this morning, Sakura," Misaki quickly apologized. Sakura flung open her doors and gave her a thumbs up from the mirror.
"Don't worry about it, Misaki! Trust me, I'd be equally as frightened if I woke up one morning and I found household items talking to me!" she laughed. Misaki smiled. She was glad everyone here was so understanding.
Sakura waddled off the stage—it was quite the challenge to get around as a wardrobe—while Maria announced a name that sounded like "Kuuga".
Clack!
Up on the stage stood a clock. But it was strange—unlike the others, who were basically replicas of the actual objects, this clock had arms, legs, and a body. He looked almost like a teeny tiny grandfather clock.
"Also known as Sakura's crush," Erika informed Misaki. She yelped upon hearing Erika's voice directly in her ear—she hadn't even noticed her sneaking behind her.
Calming down her pounding heart, Misaki asked, "Wow, really? A clock and a wardrobe, that's—" she then interrupted herself. "Hold up. Kuuga has blonde spiky-ish hair and some brownish reddish eyes right?"
Erika nodded. "Yes ma'am."
"He visited me at my house with Sakura, then!" she exclaimed in realization. The featherduster thought for a minute.
"Yeah, that was him. I remember Takumi sending them," she confirmed. Misaki grinned as she remembered Sakura clinging to Kuuga's arm. Those two really did suit each other.
"My, what an attractive young lady."
Misaki looked at the stage, only to realize the man up there was talking to her. She was just about to yell at Kuuga for cheating on Sakura, only to see that the person—well, object—on stage was a completely different one. She'd been too caught up in her conversation with Erika and hadn't noticed.
Misaki blinked as she stared at a candle. He had three flames—two as hands, one as a head. She noticed that the flames were a lime green, which she assumed was a trait of his. Either his eyes or hair, since that seemed to be a common trend amongst the objects.
"Um, thank you," she replied awkwardly. Only then did she realize how much time she'd spent analyzing his appearance—it must've come off as creepy staring or something.
"May I get your name?" he inquired. Her eyes narrowed. Found the player of the castle, Misaki humored herself.
"You know my name," she stated. Of course he did—she was the talk of the castle for the past day or so.
He chuckled. "Feisty. I like it." Misaki glared at him.
"Don't get your hopes up," she warned. He simply chose to ignore her statement and introduce himself instead.
"The name's Tora. Tora Igarashi."
She smirked. "Igarashi it is."
"Bloodshed outside please. We just had these floors cleaned," someone called. Misaki cracked a smile at that.
"Okay, uh, next up!" Maria announced. Tora walked off the stage. "Hinata!"
"I'M STUCK TO THE WALL!"
Maria laughed. "Ah, yes, how could I have forgotten?" she said. "Misaki, don't forget to introduce yourself to Hinata in the kitchen later. He's a the stove and oven," she informed Misaki.
"Got it," she said.
Playfully, Maria said, "Hmm…let's see, I think that's everybody!"
As if on cue, someone squealed "NO! You didn't introduce Ruri!"
Maria laughed. "Of course! I'd never forget you, Ruri," she said. Up on stage Misaki saw a small teacup hop up.
"Hi! I'm Ruri Yukimura, I hope we can get along!" she introduced. The teacup was white with a green trim around the top and handle.
Misaki smiled at her. Judging by her attitude, she seemed like a young girl. She also observed that Ruri spoke in third person occasionally.
"That's not everyone," Maria spoke. "But most of the others aren't here at the moment. For a quick summary, we have Subaru, Honoka, Shoichiro—Ruri's older brother, Kanou, Shizuko, and Chiyo as well."
"Wow," Misaki gasped. "That's a lot of people."
"You bet. This place is always lively!" she whistled.
Ding! Ding!
"Oh my fucking god," Misaki squeaked, falling onto the floor as she watched the strangest thing she's ever seen in her life by far. And that's saying a lot.
Everyone in the room was engulfed in sparkles, and within a matter of seconds, everyone in the room was a human. What?!
Maria laughed. "You can close your mouth now," she teased. Only then did Misaki notice that her jaw was hanging open wide. To say she was shocked was an understatement. She couldn't even describe what she was feeling. Frightened? Not really. Disappointed? Nope. Shocked? Well, yes, most obviously yes, but not quite the correct word.
"H-How—"
"Misaki," Sakura spoke, bouncing over with her pink pigtails and blue nightdress. She noticed they wore what they'd worn the previous night.
"Y…Yes…?"
"I forgot to tell you this, but, uh, everyday at noon we transform into humans, and we stay like this until midnight."
Kuuga stood beside her. "Yeah. Noon to midnight, we're humans, midnight to noon we're objects. If that makes any sense. Basically half a day for each form."
Misaki was finding it hard to take in all this information. She nodded as she stared at his face blankly.
"Actually, strangely enough you're handling this really well," Sakura confessed.
"For sure," Satsuki piped in. "Even after seeing Takumi in his beast form you didn't leave us."
"Leave? Why would I do that?"
"Because you're frightened?" Satsuki offered. Misaki shook her head.
"No…this experience is actually really exhilarating," she admitted. All four people present at the moment were surprised.
"Exhilarating?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Kuuga laughed.
"That's a first," he said. Maria nodded.
"Definitely a keeper."
-o-
Hey guys I have a question~ WHAT DO YOU THINK MISAKI'S MOM (Minako)'S PERSONALITY IS LIKE? Like I know she's dead but ill be including flashbacks so don't pull out your knives on me if I confuse you at first kay?