Hey y'all! Yes, this story is not dead. I'm just to lazy to type it out, and just figuring out the story since it's been a while and I feel some odd embarrassment when going over my stories.
This starts from Ch. 10 with Kisa and the 4th and 5th dolls, Hibiki and Kotone, and then with Chiaki and Haruka. Italics is flashback and thoughts.
"How much do you believe in reincarnation?"
Kotone remembers the day Kisa Shouta winded her up. The first thing she saw was his face and of her brother's, and the first thing she did when she was able to move was go hug them, much to their surprise. It didn't occur to her then that she was not with the person she was originally sent to, but in all honesty, it didn't matter to her at that moment.
She was with her brother and father again- or at least, the man that looked like her father.
"Here are the rules you two, okay? No leaving this apartment unless I say so, and no getting Yukina involved, got it?!"
Her new master... her brother's master, had taken her from the doorsteps of her intended master out of concern for the other. They were supposedly romantically involved and the older of the two decided that it was for the best that Yukina Kou stay unaware of the whole situation. While she agreed that maybe it was for the best, she was worried for her new master; certainly, handling two dolls at once must be a burden...
"Yeah, I'll do it." Shouta decides, holding out his unoccupied hand to the dumbfounded two; the other was holding his sandwich. "What?"
"I didn't mean it, you know..." Hibiki grumbles, with his arms crossed. "You don't even know us well, so don't agree to help us."
"Hibiki..." Kotone trails off, saddened, before facing Shouta. "None of our masters before were able to help us."
"Actually, you know what?" Hibiki says angrily, marching to his case. "We should just have been left alone in an attic or something. We're all never going to get back our bodies anyways, that's why we all said last time not to take a master right? Everyone we loved anyways is dead so... Come on, Kotone."
"B-but..."
"Hey." They turn their attention to the frowning man before them, unusually serious. "Ring me."
"Eh? Did you not hear me?" Hibiki glares, "I-" He froze as he was embraced by the older man. Kotone looked on in confusion before Shouta pulled her in to be hugged as well.
"Do you two remember the first word you guys said to me when I woke you guys up?"
"Wh-what?" Hibiki grumbles confusedly. "We said the same thing?" They were woken up separately.
" 'Father!' You two said that to me, and hugged me."
"Ehh?" Kotone looks over at him. "Hibiki you did that too?"
"S-shut up!" The older twin flusters.
Shouta continued. "At first of course, I was offended (since I'm not a Dad), but after thinking about it... It made me realize that you two are just children. It doesn't matter that you've been living longer than me. I'm not a parent, but I think that by now I can understand the feelings of others caring for someone. Somewhere I'm sure, your parents must be worried sick for you two. And the others too right? There were others younger than you in this situation right?" Kotone nodded into his embrace. "Maybe this time, we can actually make a difference. Also..."
"Also?" Hibiki questions, before getting smacked on the head. "Ack! What was that for?!"
"ALSO, I did not distance myself from Yukina for this long just so you guys can give up. I'm going to help you, and we're going to find a way for you guys to get back to normal once and for all."
...
And now, Shouta lay on the ground in such excruciating pain from the two rings on his hand, calling out the name of a woman that he should not be knowing in this lifetime. Just what is happening?
"Kotone," She looks to her brother, who looked to be in pain just from watching the older man, "Take it off him. Hurry- I'll help."
Hurriedly, the two moved to pull the second ring out from their master's fingers, oblivious to the bangs on the front door demanding to be let in. With a jolt and a sharp gasp, Shouta was pulled out of his painful reminiscing to push the two dolls away before clutching his pained hand to his chest. "No..! Just wait, wait..!"
"But..!" Kotone scrambles towards him. "You're in so much pain Master! Please, I can just-"
"NO!" She startles at the loud desperation in his voice, shrinking back against her brother as they watch the older man looked to them with a painfully saddened expression. "I'm close, so close... I need to see it..."
"See what?" Hibiki asks, brows furrowing.
"I need to see..." Shouta trails off, swallowing, "I need to see who took you two away from me... he took you two from me..." The two straightened up at the words, and with gritted teeth, Hibiki moved to grab the man's hands. "Stop!" Shouta resists.
"You need to take it off! Take it off! Take it off!" Hibiki pleads, struggling to grab the hand, "We know who took us! A masked man, he took us-"
"NO!" Shouta interjects once more, stunning the two dolls. "Wasn't him..! I saw him, I saw..." He clenches his fist towards himself, trying not to subside to the pain. Narrowing his eyes he glares balefully at whoever he saw in his memories. "You..." He let out a shuddering exhale, the exhaustion of his body giving in to rest. "..s..mi..."
"Oy!" Hibiki threw himself forward to shake him awake. "Don't die on us!" Hurriedly, Kotone moved to take her ring off the older man's hand.
The door banged open. "KISA-SAN?! Ar..." Trailing off, the younger man was caught off guard seeing the two children (doesn't realize that they're dolls yet). One thing he noted however, was how much the boy of the two looked so much like his lover with just a few glances.
"Where to go, where to go?!" Chiaki mutters absentmindedly, hurrying along to nowhere in particular with Haruka. Tori and Yuu didn't seem to be following him, but they very well could be. "Haruka, do have somewhere you want to go?" The little doll shook her head, and that was when the brunet remembered that this was the first time Haruka has left the apartment.
Spotting a nearby café, he thought it seemed like a good place to go until he spotted it.
Someone (or something?) in a white bear costume that looked like it had been scribbled on. It's mouth was stitched in a creepily wide manner, and its eyes were dark. Hearing Haruka gasp and feeling her shrink into his hold on her, he had a feeling these were probably one of the 'dollies' he heard about.
Taking a step back, Chiaki turns and runs the other way. There were too much people around for them to do anything anyways.
...
Everything looked so beautiful. Haruka couldn't help but glance everywhere she could as her master carried her along; to the trees growing up alongside the roads, the tall buildings, to the huge monitors with their colorful advertisements. There were also beautiful people walking about as well, hurrying along to get wherever they wanted to go. It was almost like in the movies and anime she sees on TV. As they passed by a bookstore, her attention was captured by a poster holding familiar art.
"Papa!" Chiaki stopped and looked down at her, before looking to where she was looking. "It's your artwork!"
"Oh, that is huh," Chiaki laughs, sheepish, before heading into the store with her in his arms to look around. "This store is selling my manga. Do you remember? My penname is Yoshikawa Chiharu."
"Yes, I remember!" Haruka responds quietly, but excited. It's was wonderful to see where her master's stories are being sold. At first, it was hard to believe that her master can create such interesting stories...
"Hmm? It's not working..." The blue eyed man stared in disappointment before setting the doll on a cushion set on his desk. "Oh well, maybe later." Seeing the note on the ground, he picked it up and glanced over before smiling. "Haruka, huh?" Gently, he set the note on the lap of the doll before heading off to his room to nap.
A few minutes after the bedroom door closed, the little doll opened her eyes cautiously before looking around the room. Shocked, she stared in disbelief at the mess of papers before her before pulling the key out of her back and setting it on the cushion. It was her time to explore now.
"How could my new master be so messy?" She pouts, before going to pick up the papers. "Oh?"
Her master's artwork, while in the sketch phase, looked so adorable. There seemed to be bubbles and wording in it, but it was different from a storybook. 'I wonder what year I'm in...' Haruka wonders, awed by this seemingly advanced form of storytelling.
After she stacked the papers accordingly, she found herself following the sounds of snoring to the next room. She wished to see what kind of man her master is. Good for her, the door was not fully shut, and she entered soundlessly. Carefully, she climbed up the bed and found herself staring at what seemed to be a young man with a head of brown hair that was darker than hers. He kind of reminded her of a prince.
*grumble grumble* Was he hungry? Haruka couldn't help but worry as the man simply turned in his sleep, ignoring his empty stomach. Oh, yes, Haruka realized, she hasn't even seen the kitchen yet!
...
Her master's kitchen was so shiny, and huge. Whipping out her fan, she gave herself enough of a breeze to get her on top of the counter and made her way to the refrigerator. 'Even this looks so much advanced now,' Haruka thought, thinking about how sleek the fridge looked.
"Ehh?" She peeked in to see small packages with nozzles on them. Other than that was a few water bottles, and a carton of eggs. She deflated seeing that the only vegetables in there were green onions. 'Well,' she thought, 'Master does seem to be a bit too skinny...' After closing the fridge, she went through the drawers and the cabinets, relieved to find rice and other dry ingredients. The stove top, while newer than she was used to, seemed to be manageable without any written directions.
'I think I can make something warm to eat for him...'
Hearing a key being turned into the door, she gasps before rushing back to her cushion on the desk.
"Chiaki?" She stilled at the deep voice of the man that came in. She could hear him walk towards her direction, to the coffee table.
A ringing suddenly came about from the man, and she frowned in confusion at the voice coming out of what was probably a small device. "Yes, Hatori here. Yoshikawa-sensei has finished it, so I will be bringing it back now." With that, the man was gone, and she opened her eyes to see that he had taken all of the papers.
'He just took it? Is that okay?' Haruka thought, before hearing Chiaki emerge from his room. "Tori?" Seeing that there was no one around but him, Chiaki scratches the back of his head seeing his paperless coffee table. "Guess he got it."
She opened her eyes to watch as he strode towards the fridge to take out one of those small packages with the nozzle. After he somehow sucks the fluid content out of them and tosses it, he stretches as he walks back towards his room. "Hah, full already." Haruka gaped at the clear lack of eating before watching as the man falls forward on his face. She waited for him to get up.
He didn't move.
She waited, and waited.
Nope, he's not moving.
"M-master...?" Haruka hesitantly says, before panicking and getting off her cushion to shake him awake. "Master?! Master, are you okay?"
*grumble, grumble* "..."
"..."
"..."
Giving up on getting him awake, she leaves his corpse behind in favor of the kitchen. Materializing her fan out, she opens the fridge and brings over a stool to see inside it more clearly. There had to be more than what she saw the first time, right?
Oh yes! Behind the small jelly packages, were apples.
And that's all there was to the fridge. "...Master," she groans out of disappointment to no one in particular. "Please take care of your needs first..."
No matter- there were still eggs and rice that she can make so...
...
"Hngh?" The smell of food woke Chiaki up from the cold, hard floor. "Did I knock out again?"
Groggily, he turned to see behind him the little doll flipping an omelet in the kitchen. 'Oh? She's making something-' His eyes widen as he found himself more awake, and aware of the mysterious being in the kitchen making food. He turns his head to see that, indeed, his doll was no longer on the cushion.
'EEEEeeeeehhhhhhhh...?!' He gapes, scrambling to get back up on his feet before hiding behind the counter to watch. 'She's ALIVE?!'
"Oh!" Haruka spots him from her position. "Are you feeling better, Master? Food will be done soon, so go wash up!"
"EEEEEEeeeeehhhhh?!" Chiaki stutters out, while thinking, 'You can talk?!'
"Master!" Haruka calls out more sternly.
He straightens up. "Y-yes! What is it?!"
"Please go wash up! Sleeping on floor like that will get you sick! Now go!"
"Y-yes ma'am!" He bows and rushes, obeying either out of fear or in shock.
After he showered and brushed his teeth (absentmindedly), Chiaki made his way back to the kitchen, and found the doll waiting for him on the counter with the omelet rice and... peeled apples? "I had apples?" He meant to think, but said out loud instead.
"Master, please get more groceries!" Haruka requests, as Chiaki goes to sit on a nearby stool to eat. "You hardly have any food in your fridge..."
"Okay... I'll go get more later..." Chiaki obeys nervously, feeling anxious under her watch. He surely had a lot of questions to ask, but nothing came to mind. Taking a bite, he widens his eyes at the good taste. "Wow, this is good! You really made this?"
"Yes! I've cooked for my other masters before so..."
"Are you hungry too?" Chiaki asks, before offering her a bite. She shakes her head.
"It's alright! Since I'm in this body I can't eat so..." She trails off, and Chiaki watched as her gaze towards the omelet rice became a sad one.
"I'm sorry, ah, where is your um, real body?" He asks to distract her.
She simply saddened a bit more. "I'm not sure where it is. The big meanie took them from us, so we've been like this for ages."
"Ehh?" Chiaki stares, "Big... meanie?"
"Oh, we don't know who he is for sure, so we've been calling him that mainly because our younger ones understand it better that way. Mio especially."
"Wait wait wait..." Chiaki says, after taking a bite. "There are more like you?"
"Yes! You read my card right? I'm the 2nd doll. There are nine of us... maybe ten if you count Shizu-chan's baby sister..."
"That's..." It was a lot of information to know, ahh... Chiaki wondered how exactly he was involved since Haruka's case just plopped into his apartment from out of nowhere. 'Could it be... I was chosen?!' He struggled to swallow. 'It's just like in a manga!'
"Master, it's alright. I can tell that you're wondering about your role as my master." Haruka continues, "We've decided to try and give up on getting our bodies back, so you and the rest of the masters don't have to suffer. No more contracts."
"Oh..." Chiaki frowns, moving on to apples. "But what about you guys? You mentioned a baby right? How old are you?"
"Me? I'm 10-"
"EHHH?! 10?!" Chiaki interrupts, almost choking on a slice in disbelief. "10, really?"
"Yes...," Haruka trails off, "We're not sure why either, why this was done to us. My earliest memory in my other body is leaving the orphanage, and seeing Shiori and Wataru."
"That's..." Chiaki mumbles, putting another apple slice in his mouth. After hearing all this, he wants to help. What kind of sicko turns kids into dolls?
"Master, you really don't have to help. It's okay," Haruka says, a little cheerful. "Just knowing I have a kind master during this awakening is enough for me. Please just let me take care of you."
"No, that's not good!" Chiaki argues. "It's not fair for you guys! Whatever I can do, just say so!"
"There really isn't anything..." Haruka replies, brows furrowed, "Especially in your state of health. You should focus more on building immunity, Master."
He slumps a bit at that. "Ahh... Y-you're right..." Chiaki agrees, a little be ashamed of himself. The doll was right, he couldn't help even if he wanted to in this state. All he was good for was making manga, not for fighting some wacko man turning kids into dolls.
"Master," Haruka begins seriously, "If you ever see dollies, please tell me. They are like people in animal costumes, but there is nothing inside them but stuffing and dark orbs controlling them. I can defeat them for you."
"Eh, dollies?"
"Yes, you can tell with the way their mouths are, and how they move. Sometimes they hardly move at all. It's scary... Ahh..." She brings her knees up to her face while on the couch. "I hope to see the others at least once... I miss my friends..."
"Awww," Chiaki cries, before hugging her to him. "I'm sure you'll meet them later." She looks up at him in surprise as he pats her head. "For now, you can think of me as a friend too! Or family!"
'Really,' thought Haruka, as she let herself be hugged by him. 'I'm glad I have such a kind master...'
...
"HeheEEh..." Brought out of her flashback, she freezes at the creepy voice. Chiaki turned in surprise to see the dollie, before speeding out of the store without a moment to waste.
'This is bad,' Chiaki thought, glancing behind them to see that it was simply walking towards them. 'Will it follow us home?'
"Papa," Haruka begins, "Is there an empty space around? I can try to get rid of it!"
"Are you sure?" Chiaki frowns, worried for her. Despite that, he glances around and spots a sort of vacant parking lot. Running towards it, he failed to see Tori spotting him amongst the crowd and hurrying towards him.
"Do you really think you can do it? You haven't fought one in so long right?" Chiaki asks, as they faced the dollie in the vacant lot. He put her down so she could face it. 'The cars nearby shouldn't be facing too much damage,' he hoped.
"I think I can..." Haruka falters, while bringing out her fan and hugging it to her chest. "I-it's so scary though..."
"Y-you're... not wrong." Honestly, it too was freaking him out on the inside, as they watched it tilt its head back and forth like broken clock hands.
Yay, first chapter I wrote in a while. lol I didn't think I could type this much on Chiaki especially. I had to reread the manga on some chapters too. Well, happy reading! Some of y'all probably have to reread this whole thing again and I apologize.
It's been a long time since I updated ahh...