Chapter Text
✦
It’s sunny, bright, too much for the pain getting here.
You, MC, have just moved to a town, away from home. All so foreign for you. Your minds a mess, dizzying if you transferred or exchanged? Gosh you’re out of it.
The brown-rich flooring whom basking in the sunlight (until you decided to lay there), was warm against your back. The rays of shining blazing sunlight enveloping half of your room on the second floor. Your body basking in the sunlight, sprawled out in front of the window. Arms spread, legs apart.
Your eyes locked on the popcorn ceiling, making out faces that distorted and form anew. Thinking about Monday is dreading, it’s Friday, it’s just around the corner. Cocking your head to the right, your view of the depressing white colored wall is blocked by the mountains of boxes.
‘Oh…yeah..’ the voice in your mind is devoid of motivation, just thinking about the piles of boxes…THE PILE OF BOXES, is also adding up to your exhausting imaginary to-do list! You thought this would be smooth, gliding worries slipping off your skin.
You were far, far, far off.
Pushing yourself up with your hands, leaning back on them in the process. Your uniform wrinkles, the teal skirt reaching below your knees, the only pop of color in this room. You think, and think, ‘A new world, a complete foreign feeling,’ gosh you’re edgy…
For someone who’s bubbly and loud, your endless battery has ran out. Why? Maybe because of the painful 6-7 hours of carrying boxes without any help back and forth? Nahh!! It’s just the missing of your old home! Yes..er…yeah that’s it!
In the empty room (beside the boxes that litter it), you empty stare out the window, taking in the wall of the nextdoor-neighbor’s house, also along with natures scenery or stuff. Honestly you didn’t feel like bargaining someone new. Your arms are tired, your legs are tired, YOU are mentally and physically tired.
Next to you is your phone, plain but it’s yours. The phone lays on its front side, grasping with your hands, you pick it up. Turing the phone towards you, thumb pressing on the screen as the sudden flash of slight makes you squint. The time reads…
September 4th, 2015
7:45PM
You should have enough time to maybe get something from the local convenience store. Depends on how long you plan to stay. Getting up from where you sat, you take the keys from one of the waist-leveled boxes, replacing it with your phone. Metal keys jingles against each other creating a chime noise.
The weight of yourself makes the rich brown floorboards creaking with each step. Wrapping around the cold gold doorknob, twisting it as the door slowly opens. Your house you are staying in with the helping of your parents from overseas is two stories tall, nice! Jackpot.
Speaking of parents overseas, it’s quite the surprise. Is unlike your parents to leave you all alone, but it’s for the college around where you live. Soon you’ll be entering college in 2 years, too short to experience anything anyway. So that’s the reason, they left you here practically stranded.
By the time you were thinking all about the situation, you’ve already made your way to the front door. The plain white walls, and in the middle is an even plainer brown door. The lights in the house make everything way too bright for your liking.
You take an extra step, sliding on your outside slippers in the process. Your hand, once again touches and twists the familiar cold metal. The outside reveals itself to you. Green everything, painted in a slight orange hue. A nice transition from blinding heaven and into sunset garden.
A stone path is neatly laid out from the small stone porch to the exit of the property. Along the path is a small garden of flowers and an apple tree—Ah what the hell… your thinking to hard on the PATH, I repeat just a path, of your house. You probably look like a fool to anyone passing by. This quirk of yours to observe and stare has given you hardships.
Now remembering your goal; market place. You are in need of food, the fridge is just as empty as your house (aside from the mountains of boxes). Just of the thought of food, you autopilot off the property, stepping onto the road. Your sight is companied by rows of the same houses, some with different layouts, and different plants or trees. All look the same but their little differences and details make them home for another person.
Street lamps laid out in calculated spaces as you walk around, no sense of direction. Pulling out your ph—Wait… THERES NOTHING IN YOUR POCKET! You feel panic setting in, well—what’s so needy about a phone!? Well-uh! Maybe it’s the fact that EVERY building looks alike?! It couldn’t be that bad?
Turning on your heel, pivoting into a delayed sprint, multitasking to get your phone and trying not to make your slippers go flying into the process of running. It makes for a very awkward run-jog, slippers creating friction as they drag them along the concrete.
Trying to scuttle as fast as you can towards what you think is your house, a fat orange cat with red fabric tied around its neck scurries past you. This sudden feline catches you off guard. A slippers flies off, then—
“ACKK!! Dude!—Watch where you’re going!” A man’s voice groans in agitation.
You start to feel it too, you take a step back at the sudden collision. A bare feet (the one without the slipper) laid flat on the concrete as you balanced yourself, the concrete pricking the underside of your foot. Your hand flies to your head, it hits you.
A throbbing pain spreads through out your temple. You feel your forehead, a slight bump is what you can feel, the touch of it makes your brows furrow. Your eyes are screwed shut, noticing this you open them. The first person you see is a guy with purple hair, his hair being held up by a white headband, eyes shut in annoyance, rubbing the spot on his forehead.
Off to the side there is a pink-haired boy with antennas and green glasses, you can’t deny he’s kinda cute and aloof looking. In correlation to your comment on him, he turns away. You assume he doesn’t want part in any of this, you relate. Your eyes drift back to the purple-haired boy.
The purple head opens his eyes furiously—“Can’t you have a sense-…of…—oh?” To madly furious to calmer look, like the gears in his head started to turn just looking at you. Is there something wrong? Is it maybe the huge bruises you share with this random stranger?
He quickly straightens his collar, coughing into his fist before opening his mouth, “Well—Y’know I’m into spiritual things, in fact I specialize in it!!” He speaks in such a confident tone. “Wou-LD!!” A squeak escapes his mouth as he gets dragged away by the Pink Aloof Boy by the collar.
You can’t see the Aloof Boy’s face, but it’s probably a face of ‘I’m saving you from embarrassment’ type of face. From where you stand, you can see the Purple Haired getting visibly choked. He shouts among the words of ‘I didn’t get to talk with the beauty of a girl’ or something like that from gasping chokes.
A warmth fills your face, maybe you’re blushing but don’t get the wrong idea. You put your hand on your cheek. The involuntary validation makes you feel fuzzy. The fact someone sees you as feminine without needing to know makes your stomach flip. Whether or not you want or dress like a woman, it’s nice to know that strangers see you for what you strive for.
Your head jerks up at the thought of your phone. Right! You need your phone! Frantically you look around, houses blending together as they look the same. In the opposite direction of where the twos boys were going, an apple tree pokes out of a tall thick fence. You recognize it immediately.
✦
In your home, searching atop of each box, somehow you find it in your room. Didn’t you take it? You did? No…don’t think so. Taking it, your thumb presses in the screen, the screen coming to life. The clock says—
September 5th, 2015
12:35PM
It took you a long time to find this damn phone. Time had passed faster than what you had planned in your crafted schedule. All of that damn phone…sigh. You'll have to settle on air and an empty stomach for tonight.
You could pull out a futon, or cause absolute chaos unwrapping a rolled mattress that could possibly flatten you. Obviously you’re choosing the safer option! You’re not THAT dumb…uh right?
You pull out a tightly rolled and sealed mattress.
Apparently, yes. You’d rather do things the hard way, anything for that sweet, sweet comfort. With your strength, you pull it out, still wrapped. Hastily, you grab a box knife, pressing a button that pushes the blade up. You basically stab the plastic, brutally cutting across.
The mattress flies into air, unraveling as it goes. Gravity decides it’s your time, pulling the mattress back down. You didn’t even have enough time to process before the mattress came crashing down on you.
Maybe that wasn’t a good idea?? But you’re not that boring to follow by the so called books.
Pushing up the mattress with effortless grace (which you do work out… well sorta BUT it is enough!!). You crawl out from under, plopping onto the smooth polished wood floors instead of the mattress. At this point you could sleep on the floor like a baby. But hey, you ain’t all about that, deserving this sweet deluxe (mattress on floor combo) WILL BE YOURS!!
Filled up with unnecessary determination, you get up to rest on your elbows. The hard wood floors pinches you with the friction. With all the mustered up energy you had left, crawling towards the crooked mattress. Sinking into bliss as the mattress metaphorically wraps its arms around you.
✦
RING, RING, RING!!
The sound of the alarm jerks you awake. Your back aches against something cold and hard—no, your whole BODY on something that isn’t a mattress. You rub your eyes, your clothes slightly sticking to you all because of the rising bum-fuck of summer.
Getting up, you see rich brown wood tiles, not the pure white mattress that embraced you last night. Mattress, mattress, mattress…sigh mattress. How many times have you said mattress? It doesn’t matter, you shouldn’t bring it up again. Unless in the future? Who knows?
Getting up to rest on your elbows, you feel sweat drenching your body, you should’ve turned on the AC last night. Instead, you’re here laying away your life choices. You start to undress, shuffling and peeling away clothes, until nude. You had prepared clothes the first day you got here, clothes, shorts, undies, and a towel.
Grabbing the needed items you listed and skipping away to the bathroom. While all being nude. As you were about to—
✦
Showers are relaxing, but you don’t dig tripping nude.
You walk out of the showers, light steam trailing behind you when you walk out. Towel over your head, a pink shirt with flowers adoring it, short blue shorts, and an extra bruise to your head. The one you got on way home yesterday was the limit, but this is sooo last your limit.
The wet pads on your feet make a slapping sound on the floor, to the stairs, and towards the kitchen. You stand in front of the fridge, bending yourself to open the freezer. After grabbing the needed supplies, you make a quick ice pack. Ice in a bag wrapped in a towel. You press it towards the back of your head, the sensation stinging.
Who would have thought skipping would make you slip? Certainly not you.
But you know what would make you happy? A nice little trip to the nearby supply store, it’s only Saturday after all. Not that long till school starts.
✦
Your hair is half dry, it’s enough to be presentable, who cares? Yet again it is a Saturday. You have on half decent clothes too, well you look like a hobo at first glance. A slightly stained white T-shirt with the words, ‘I ❤️ HOT MOMS’ and even worse shorts that have flashing colors with hearts in a decorative pattern. Beyond your knees doesn’t get better; socks are ripped, and shoes are way too big for you.
Why, you may ask? Well obviously it’s the only thing you have, you aren’t the one to rewear clothes… sometimes. And it so happens these are the only clothes you have. Totally. In your defense, it’s tamer than what’s waiting to be unleashed from those boxes.
Wallet in pocket, keys in the other. You’re ready to go.
With a pep in your step, you make towards the door. Open, close, and lock. Turning away, you are softy greeted with dawn and the lush tiny (chaotic) garden the past owners left for you.
Leaving the property, now in the familiar street from yesterday. Un-pocketing your phone, pressing in the passcode, then checking your maps. A left, right, left, up…down…sideways…and a right? You follow the laid out path on your phone, passing through shops and neighborhoods.
It’s a five minute walk, not too short nor too long. It’s a time to reminisce on who exactly you are. You like art, not a big surprise.
Though compared to others, you may not be as skilled or passionate about it, but in a sense it gives you an exit. Emotions can be hard to handle, so exiting these feelings on a canvas truly lets you express deeper feeling that drive a deep crack through you.
Anime? Books? It’s something you like, but you’re picky. There is very few books you like and few anime’s you like. Finding these gems are truly hard work since anime’s can be get copy paste isekai.
School? Academics? Average, you get past just fine. Not too smart, not too lazy.
Social life? Friends? Bad. You’ve moved and now you’re all alone! But maybe you’ll meet some weirdos just like you.
Before you could process another thought about you to pass time, your phone buzzes and a voice rings out robotic, “You have arrived,” your phone chimes. Looking up, you’re still quite far away but it’s like half a lap towards the store. But you could see commotion in the distance.
Familiar colors render in your peripheral vision. Purple and pink, classic.
But you see a hint of brown and green?
As you walk closer, facing the front of the store, seeing the backs of Purple and Pink (Plus green and brown), bickering and complaining can be heard.
“IS THAT HER GUARDIAN SPIRIT?!!” The Purple violently shakes Pinkie.
“Seems so.” A monotone voice replying in response.
You’re curious, very curious. You keep your distance, not wanting to ruin this moment. But you catch sight of something, a man. Specifically a man with poop on his head, gruff worn-out clothes, and slightly see through. What the hell is going on.
You decide to step closer, “So? What’s going on?” Your bubbly voice rings out.
“rraaAaaaaaAAAAAAGGHHHHHHHH-“ A terrified screech erupts from the startled Purple Boy, “-Aaa..oh.”
In the process of him screaming, he was clinging onto Pinkie as if it was the last thing keeping him alive. Obviously his face was coated in worry. What he was worried for? It was definitely someone.
The supply store door whirred open, revealing a short greened hair girl. At first glance, she looked shy. Cute and shy—“U..uhm- Is everything alright out here?” Her voice was gentle, shy and sweet.
As a long as this moment could last, you could listen to her voice on repeat.
CREEEK…
✦
A metal sign falling on the girl wasn’t on your bingo card.
With the help of an average boy, And the two other abnormally colored hair boys, the sign was lifted off of her. She was bloodied, but wasn’t worried about it??
Acting as if this was a regular occurrence for her.
All of you stood an a make shifted circle around her as she sat on the floor. “Sorry… I’m just…clumsy.” This sentence came straight from a typical stereotypical shy girl. But you still feel sorry for this girl.
She went onto ramble how she was clumsy, lazy, and just doesn’t she where she’s going. She also insisted how she didn’t need an ambulance, clearly she DOES need it. You crouch down to get to eye level with her.
“Are you sure? You look pretty messed up…” your voice lowered on the last part, you didn’t want to insult her. But it’s just you, was telling her that she looked like a sign fell onto her bad? No, you just hated saying something that wasn’t positive about them.
She waved her hand up and down, “No, no! I’m sure! Just don’t worry!” She takes a second to fully take you in, staring at your abnormal clothing choice. “Um… I don’t think I’ve seen you around here? What’s your name?”
“My name?” Pause, “It’s MC—Short for my name.” As soon as you said that, the average boy extended his hand with a handkerchief.
The green haired girl took the handkerchief in response before saying—“My name is Suzumiya Hii…” her words a bit mumbled as she wiped the blood off her face. Another person crouched down beside you and Suzumiya.
It was the brown haired boy, waving his hand—“And my name is Satou Hiroshi!” He looked average, he talked average, even his personality is average. After examining him, You then look over to the other two who haven’t announced.
The two caught your stare, Pinkie opening his mouth before—“You want my name? It’s Toritsuka Reita!” Gabbing his thumb into his chest to pronounce himself. “Oh?” He looked beside him—“This is my buddy, Saiki! Saiki Kusuo!” Slinging an arm around Saiki’s shoulder.
”It’s nice to meet you.” You sheepishly force a smile at the eagerness of Reita.
Turning your head towards Suzumiya, “I hope we’ll be seeing each other later!” You bring yourself to stand up, your legs feeling a bit fuzzy after crouching for 7 paragraphs. You wave goodbye to the gang before turning to heading inside the supply shop.
The door whirred open, then whirring closed behind you. Your vision is flashed by unnecessary bright lighting, as you get used to it you see the supplies this shop has to offer. Metaphorically you’d be drooling right now of the choices…
Mmm…choices….heh.
✦
After you pick out your selection of items, your basket slightly swinging with each step, you decide it’s time to pay. Going through the warping aisles, you soon find the cashier with ease.
Your steps clack against the marble floor as you make your way closer to the counter, extending your arm up to prepare to put the basket on the cashier. Fully you placing the basket onto counter, also greeting the cashier with a smile and ‘hello.’ They return the favor.
The door whirred opened, whirring closed behind you.
Bag in hand, you sneak through to check out the items you bought. Things such as pencils, colored pencils, eraser, paints, fabric, needle, and other stuff the interests you. As you walk, occupied in your stuff, you gently bump into someone.
“Oh!— I’m am-“ Before you could finish your sentence, the strange figure puts their hands on your shoulder, their acrylics tenderly digging into the fabric. Taking a good look at them, you can identify they are a she, gyaru looking—“Yo!…you psychic?…”
On the last part she leaned in, her voice lowering. Her expression turned slightly serious about this ‘psychic’ stuff. You step back a foot, wary of this stranger who looked around your age. “Psychic?…” You say before loosens her grip on your shoulders.
She removes her right hand from your shoulder, making a cute gesture with her pointer finger up; like a ‘!’ mark. “Yes!”—She beams—“A little tip from my good’ol’ friends told me…you could see things the average human can’t?” The girl said with swag and confidence that you envy.
You scowl in confusion, “What?…Am..not??” Your brain is frying at the thought.
“C’mon!”—She removes her hands from your shoulders, now grabbing your wrist in a firm grip—“I know you’re psychic!! You just need a push!” The girl turns on her heel, dragging you along. You hastily keep up with her pace, shoes scraping against the concrete every now and then.
You get whipped across the streets, dragged like a doll. Labyrinth of house consumes you, the place warps. Weirdly, the place looks like smudged paint. The place feels eerie, birds stop chirping, the wind that blowed has halted, overall, the place is like a ghost town. You guys sprint more and more, until coming to an erupt stop. You fail to stop in time with her, your face colliding with the back of head not too soft or hard. She doesn’t move.
“Yo… Rookie Psychic? I’m getting the feeling something fishy is going on.” She turns her head slightly, enough so that she glances back at you. You place one of hands on her shoulders, peaking your head out from behind her—“I… get the feeling too…”—Your sensing are blazing wildly, instincts yelling at you. But you can’t bring yourself to move.
Turning on your heel, you try to break into a run before getting jerked back. Forgetting your hand was in a vice grip by the girl, she hasn’t moved an inch. You slightly tilt your head to look back at her. What was wrong? Did something happen? Is she as scared as you?
Instead, her face was giddy, “Yo, Rookie!!—” You jump at the sudden burst of energy, “—You ready to see how a real psychic works?!” Before you could respond, once again you are aggressively dragged into something you didn’t consent to. Winding building, twist, out of color, like a rip between the fabric of time.
Your journey was already getting weirder by the second, minute, and hour. The clouds are painted, smudged as if someone has wiped it, houses like cardboard cutouts, butterflies whipping past you, their shape and color disorienting, the sky blooms into an abnormally orange and pink, improperly mixed together. Everything feels 2D, and you two are the only things that are intertwined with reality like a ribbon.
You two are still sprinting, you have no idea how long this gal can go on, it’s crazy. You’re heaving from desperate gasps, reconsidering if you should have participated in sports. Looking behind you, it looks like reality is getting farther away, the realistic 4k view is getting painted over by the cutouts of roses blooming, and their spiked vines creating a makeshift door, as if waiting for you guys to defeat what is ahead.
This time you notice the fast pacing slowing down, the run turning into a jog, then into a slow walk. Her grip on your hand hastily softens, fully letting go. You miss the warmth. From her skirt pocket she pulls out a key, the key is silver, at the top is a flat circle that is purple, beautiful floral patterns are ingrained on the key’s handle, around the circle is sliver that wraps around in a flower shape.
You gasp in awe, “You have a key?” Curiosity pitching in your voice. “Uhmhum!—“ She nods, “—A key manifested from our psychic powers within! Neat? Right?” She hold to the key up to her mouth, the tip of the key touching her lips.
“Awesome!! When can I get a key of my own!…” Pausing your sentence before saying “Well since you think I’m a Psychic, right? I’m supposed to have a key now? Or later? Like some fighting I have to do??” Excitement laces your tone as you’re practically a bundle of joy now.
She snorts, “Ha! I like your enthusiasm, Rookie!” With her pointer finger, inserting it into a hollow circle keychain attachment, she swings the key around, “But before I tell you all that, why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’ve been calling ya Rookie for the whole trip!” Her lips form a cheery smile, teeth and all.
Your brows slight furrow, rethinking everything little moment you had with her, and no introduction?! Horrible! Vile even! “Oh…” your lips curl downward in response, “Well? Why don’t we now? My name is MC, short for my name!” You say, trying to make up for the lack of courtesy.
Her eyes lighten up in enlightenment, “Awesome!” This causes her to have a pep in her step whilst you two walk, “You can call me Aiura!!—Aiura Mikoto,” She slightly picks up her pace, still trying to find something. You quicken your walk to a jog, trying not to stray behind.
As you jog beside her, you notice Aiura’s darting from place to place, “Uh—…What are we supposed be looking for?” Your voice slight breathy. She turns her head, unfazed by the fast pace jog, “An opening to the Heart of The Labyrinth. It’s a way we purge the spirit all together, U’know?” Her short explanation leaves open space for things to ponder about later.
Suddenly, Aiura takes a sharp left turn at a ‘T’ shaped road, and it’s typical uncanny houses along with roses that feel flat with no dimension. You skid to a halt, your arm slightly brushing against a concrete surface, a wall that acts like a fence with all houses along the neighborhood. You feel needles bloom your slightly scratched elbow. “Aiura!!—“ You yell out, “—Slow down!” Picking up your pace, you’re catching up to Aiura, but her athletic skills outshine you.
You’re breaths come in heaved gasps, Aiura has mindlessly ignored you, but you see something in the distance. She starts to slow down, the key swirling from her pointer finger in a flashy style. Your feet start bucking, strained from all the exercise. “Aiura…—“ you huff out, “—…W-what’s the-rush…?” Your upper body gives out, your hands rest on your knees like an anchor, your lungs feeling like they’re about to bust from your rib cage.
Looking up, you see pride in the from of a person. “Wonderful!! Just perfect!!” Her stance screams confidence, hands on hips and everything, “Seems like we found what we were looking for in record time.” You look up, “T..that??…” You see a door, the most anticlimactic thing ever. Here she got you thinking of big bad ghouls, action, and a fierce battle. But there, a door. “Well, duuhh! As I said earlier, we need to find the Door to it!… did I say that?” She murmurs the last part, her face in deep thought.
Taking this opportunity, you take in the door, it’s a door with its top rounded, flat rose decorates the sides, its door frame a sickly red color, dripping like paint, its glass is a rainbow vomit, random colors that don’t match or complement, the door yet again like the whole setting, is uncanny and flat. Everything except its handles, they are shiny, gold, lustrous, and a lock that is shaped like a butterfly has a key hole.
“Well, let’s get going! I’ll show how things work around here!” Her free hand does a gesture that signals you to come closer, and so you do. “Work? Huh?…” a rushing possibilities come rushing to your mind, “Like-like fighting!? Action!?” You start to feel giddy, very giddy, this is the best thing ever! You, Aiura, against the world in some fantasy land to defeat evil. It may seem childish, but you’d want you too, wouldn’t , you?
Aiura giggles, “Yes! Yes! Just you and me against the world!” With the key in hand, she pushes it into the keyhole, twisting before a sound, like a correct buzzer, a ‘sparkle’ sound rings out. The Lock, deforms, rapidly changing shape, color, dimension, before fading away. The door pushes open, an invitation to both. “Hold on tight, Rookie!” Her hand, meets yours, connected warmth. With her body mass, she pushes the door open, falling straight in.
It doesn’t take you long before you realize there is no footing beyond the gates, “AIURA—“ your voice is cut off, now you’re being dragged into the pit. The wind whips past you, Aiura is in ahead of you, hands connected as you both fall. A similar doors appears below you both, opening again, then another door beyond the door.
Until, solid ground appears beyond door number sixth. Aiura lands, feet connected to the ground, something that clearly is a common occurrence during these entrances. Unfortunately, you don’t land as gracefully as Aiura. You instead fall on your ass, the pain blooming on your rear like a wildfire. Pushing yourself up, rubbing your hand specifically on your left butt-cheek, trying to soothe the pain.
Looking around, the place looks stranger than before. Both of you on a platform, red Rudy tiles with black accents, ahead of the platform is a bridge connecting to another door, (How many doors are there gonna be?) paper butterfly’s fly past you in a choppy way, against the black railings were roses, and more, and more, some had eyes and some had none, peering into the endless black void beyond the bridge was painting with gold cases, along with clocks that hang on no wall, endless as they stretched farther than the eye can see.
In the void, there is a stretch of color behind the paintings and clocks, vibrant color spiral and swirl, having no end, and random shapes adorned the place, you can’t make them out, but they’re there, just like me.
“C’mon! I can’t wait all day for ya! Hurry and get movin’!” Aiura gestures towards you. Hastily, you snap out of your daze, jogging towards Aiura where she landed. “So—…What’s next? We’re here, right? But where is the mentioned spirit?” You start to fidget with your fingers.
✦