Ito Izumi

VI
Ito Izumi
 

Stirring from her slumber, Rin groaned. She ached all over. It was worse than anything she’d ever felt before and she wasn’t unfamiliar with fighting. From what she could tell through the darkness and a left eye that refused to open fully, she was led down in yet another room she couldn’t recall. The space was dull and cold, and all of the furniture seemed to be made of the same bland processed wood. Even the train was decorated better than this. If nothing else, at least she hadn’t been left to die on a floor somewhere.

Forcing herself to sit up, crimson locks spilt over her shoulders and clothes which weren't hers. Mouth feeling as if it was made from sandpaper and cotton wool, and vision still not focusing properly, Rin scooted her feet out of the bed that she’d been led in. From what she could see, she was in a self-contained apartment; a rectangular room with the front door at the foot of her bed, a tiny kitchen unit and a table big enough for one between the main barrier and the open doorway to a toilet to her right. From the flare spilling into the room, she guessed there was a window behind her.

A dull murmur fell from swollen lips, “ah, shit...I’m in prison...”

Or so she thought. Instead of being left alone with nothing but a short rope and a rafter, the redhead noticed a vase of sunflowers on what was trying to pass as a dining table. Forcing herself up properly despite feeling like all of her muscles were ripping, Rin got up and hobbled towards the single, plain wooden chair and eased herself down into it carefully. Pinching the edge of the yellow slip of paper that was left behind, the woman rested her chin on an up-propped palm. Covering her left eye with the fingers from said hand so that she could focus past the swelling, she read over the curly words carefully like a child.

‘RiCchin, ( ° ∀ ° )ﾉﾞ
By the time you’re able to read this, I hope you’re feeling better. I’ve been visiting as much as I could. Between KumataCchi and I, we’ve been putting coins in the heater as much as possible, but with the dorms, one never knows when it will decide to give out. 人(_ _*)
Doctor Yakazu has left you some medication to help the pain, as well as some vitamins and iron; please make sure you take them when prescribed.
From Usagi ／(≧ x ≦)＼
P.S, There is a newcomer package-hunt in your room - I wonder if you can find them~ Also, sunflowers reminded me of you; I hope you don’t dislike them.


Rin folded the piece of paper back in half, then half again. Burning ache throbbed throughout her being and she was able to feel the dull buzz of her body trying to recuperate. Huffing out a breath as best she could without feeling like her ribs were about to puncture a lung, she tried to motivate movement. Pushing herself up and shuffling over to the chest of drawers pushed against the flimsy headrest of the bed, the occupant tried to crouch down only to fall onto her rear when her legs gave way.

‘You couldn’t even kill yourself.’ She recalled the remark of the monster calling itself her. ‘You’re weak.’ Teeth grit, she stared at her legs which refused to move the way she wanted. ‘Lots of parents break up.’

‘She’s so pitiful. After what happened with her family, how can she ever expect a normal life?”

‘You should really stop thinking it’s all about you.’

‘Did you think I really loved you? I just wanted to make her mad. Don’t take it personally.’

‘I never wanted a child to begin with. You’ve just held me back....’

Rin smacked the side of the drawers as the memories came rushing back. How was it that one thing could lead to another, and before you knew it - you recalled every hurtful thing everyone had ever said to you?

Slapping the wooden box again, and then punching, and then again harder, the redhead took her temper out on the furniture. Smacking and kicking both the drawers and the bed frame, the redhead scrunched her face. Tears escaping her tightly squeezed lids, she thrashed against herself; against the world and everything in it that she hated. Making onto her knees, she pounded the top of the case and swiped her few belongings off the top until there was nothing left but bloody handprints smeared with tears.

Hunched over the low chest, the redhead dropped her forehead onto her arm. Forearm forcefully plugging the tears, Rin bit her tongue. Clamping down to make herself forget about everything besides the burning twinge running down her nerves, the young woman heaved a breath, and then another, until she wasn’t hiccuping and snotting all over herself like a lunatic.

She had spent a lacklustre time on earth; a time where her parents disregarded her, where her friends badmouthed her behind her back, and where the guy she thought had loved her had used her. She had died. Let’s rehash - she was murdered by the bitch who was now banging her man...Ex-man. She had been tortured with a nightmare of what she would become. She had lost the single most important fight of her undead life. She knew it was a cliche to tempt fate in such a way, but looking at it objectively, was there anything else that could possibly go wrong? She didn't have anything else...aside from the second chance which had been forced upon her.

Ripping open the top drawer of the chest in a search for her clothes, the redhead was met by two packages. One was a slim white box, while the other was a pastel, chibi-animal-print bag. Taking both, she returned to the bed. Opening the gift bag, she was met by a note on top of the contents. The note was on cute stationary sporting chibi rabbits with smiling faces and written in neat - yet a little too curly for her personal taste - handwriting, just like the note from the table.

Yaahtaaah~ (⌒ω⌒)ﾉ You found it.
Everyone starts off the same way here, RiCchin - poor. KumataCchi and I both got you this as a ‘get well’ gift. The receipt is in there if you don’t like it. I’m pretty sure the size is dead-on though; I’m just that good ☆⌒(≧▽​° )
From Usagi & Kumata ♥ ／(≧ x ≦)＼ ʕ ᵔᴥᵔ ʔ

Rin half-smiled at the kind gesture, half-cringed at the thought of the shota picking out clothes while imagining her measurements. Turning to the box, she flicked off the lid and was met with a completely different letter. This time in heavy-handed calligraphy, the note was short and to the point.

‘Oi, red-haired witch, don’t die naked.
Here’s your uniform.
Were it, or I’ll kick your ass. You have until 3pm Friday to contact me - Or else!
Yatagarasu Sama.’

Dead stare fixed on the box while a dark cloud hung over her, Rin’s right side of her face twitched in disbelief at just how blunt - and rude - the message was. Nobody refers to themself as Sama in a letter. Or at all, for that matter.

Unbuttoning her pants and pulling them down to her knees, the redhead shimmied out of her constraints with a whine for each muscle twitch. “I see no one bought me underwear...” She cursed the taboo as she picked up the pitch-black hot pants from the white box filled with crape paper. An article of the same colour dropped on the bed and the redhead quirked her brows. “Ah...” Pinching the tiny panties between her thumb and middle finger, she held them up at eye-level in inspection, “she really did.” She stretched the lace Brazilian thong out and coughed a laugh. There was a matching push-up bra in there too. 'This bitch...'

Stripping off and changing, she felt a little gammy at the fact there was no way to shower. Fixing her face as best she could with the water from the kitchen sink, Rin grabbed her device, passport and the keys hung up in the pouch behind the door before setting out.

Just like she’d gathered from the first letter she’d received, Rin knew she was in some form of an apartment block. But still, when she’d got to the end of the brief hallway, she was met by yet another challenge: A clear, trauma-proof glass wall with a seamless matching door and accompanying sensor and keypad. Rin had tried the sensor at least twelve times, and even checked through her phone notes and patted around the pockets of her new jacket, hoping it was just something similar to a military number. There was zilch, so now she had to stand there like an idiot until somebody came along.

A petite woman with coral curls stopping short of her shoulders halted to ask. “Uh, you’re the one who wagered Chikage San yesterday, aren’t you?”

It took a few seconds, but Rin finally looked up in a daze. “What?”

“I apologize, I didn’t catch your name on the monitor, but I did see you in the arena.” The stranger faced the much taller female and inclined her head in greeting. “My name’s Ito Izumi.”

Not quite knowing how to react, Rin scratched the back of her head and tried not to show that she was still hurting. “Shibata Rin; I arrived yesterday,” She inclined her head as quickly as she could, as to not seem rude.

“I remember when I first got here. I was so scared and nobody would help me.” Holding up her cell which was in a neon blue case inlaid with holographic stars, Ito shook it once to make sure she had the redhead’s attention. “Unlike Sector-based offices and restricted rooms, our hallway and transport passes are scanned via these devices.” She held her phone over the screen and it beeped. “The same when paying for stuff.” She held open the door and Rin had to duck substantially to get under the short arm.

“You’re practically a lifesaver-” She cut herself off as she was greeted by the bright morning buzz of the spanning space before her.

It was nothing she’d in any apartment block in the living world, but more like the inside of a cinema plaza. It was an open disk-like shape with a good portion of the wall to her right being made from glass and steep support beams leading all the way to the ground floor. Besides the transparent barrier showcasing the city outside was a set of escalators and a semi-enclosed reception desk. Both Contractors and Ayakashi buzzed around, going in and out of the countless doors scattered around the place. Another notable thing was the curvature of fast-food restaurants that followed a lot of the perimeter to the left.

Grinning at the awestruck expression of her company, Ito fixed the collar of her winter coat. “I just wish someone would have told me this stuff when I arrived - I felt like a complete idiot and people take hierarchy so seriously here.”

Rin relaxed at the easy conversation. Ito wasn’t a bear, nor an asshole; nor a middle schooler who guessed her clothing size. She certainly wasn’t some dead fish-eyed bitch with a sadistic streak. It was a welcomed change to have some normal conversation. Brushing her tongue along her teeth, and then turning away when she remembered she hadn’t showered yet, Rin covered her mouth as if she was about to cough.

“Let me buy you a coffee in thanks for the help.”

Checking the time on her cell, the peach haired female nodded with a grateful smile. “I have way too much time before I have to head out; it always happens.” She stuck the tip of her tongue out and bopped herself on the head with her fist lightly.

‘This girl is nuts. A real cloud cuckoo-lander.’ Forcing the smile to stay stuck to her lips, the redhead needed her company to stick around and teach her how she could at least buy herself a toothbrush. “What would you like to drink, Ito San?”

“It’s fine to call me Izu Chan. I figure we’re around the same age.” The girl’s whose head barely reached Rin’s shoulder waved off the formalities. “And a milk coffee with five sugars.”

“No, that’s impossible, no matter how you look at it.” It was unclear whether she was talking about their ages or the diabetes in a cup, but Ito took the former and ran with it.

“I was twenty-four when I came here.”

‘Imposssssibleee~’ Clearing her throat, Rin inclined her head as not to seem rude. “I’m nineteen.”

“Ah, it must be nice to be young forever.”

‘This woman is unbelievable. There’s only five years difference and she makes it sound like she has two decades on human mein alone.’ Moving along with the cue of three at what seemed like an average coffee shop, the redhead flattened the top of her hair out of habit. “Izu Chan, how can you drink something so sweet?”

“I used to take one with a large cup, but over the last couple of weeks, my sense of taste has been getting weaker. Perhaps I’m getting a cold.” She stared up as if that kind of thing was a legitimate reason for such a drastic change in appetite.

Enamoured by the realities of this new world, Rin found it an amazement that the occupants of this place could still catch colds. Putting her thoughts on hold for the moment, she turned the barista and made her order before glancing to the female beside her.

Seemingly hearing the taller woman’s mental plea for help, Ito gave a gentle smile. “When asked for payment, just hold your device screen over the scanner.” She pointed at the metallic box that was screwed onto the counter via a little swivel frame.

Doing as she was told after ordering their drinks and two breakfast rolls, the redhead scanned her phone only for it to blip. Eyes wide in panic, Rin felt her face begin to heat up. “W-what’s going on?”

Reaching over, Ito scanned her device and then stuck it her coat pocket. “I thought something like this might happen.” Pulling a handful of lemon hand-fresheners from one of the tubs lined up with condiments and seasoning's, the shorter woman pointed towards the end of the row of trays, towards the utensils. “I’ll get this one, Rin Chan.”

H-had she just been denied? Had her ‘card’ been declined? Of all the things to happen, she was turned-out when she’d just offered to pay for someone else. How embarrassing.

“Izu Chan, I really didn’t know that would happen. Please believe me-”

“Bring the food over.” Scooping her hand at the flustered newcomer, Ito giggled and headed for the closest empty table which surrounded one of the many concrete pillars. Pulling one of the high stools out, Ito took off her fur-trimmed pastel-pink Parka and hung it over the backrest. Hopping up onto the leather cushion, she cleaned her hands with one of the wipes. “I saw you being carried into your dorm by a bear Ayakashi. Soon after, Doctor Yakazu turned up. I know not many people can pay his fees, even after a substantial time here.”

“Doctor who?”

“No, not Doctor Who - Doctor Yakazu. He’s the best doctor there is.” Ito continued to scrub her hands as the play on words went uncelebrated. “It’s rare for him to take an evening call from a regular person, so he must be familiar with the cute boy who turned up around eleven the same night.”

Trying not to send any hostile looks, the redhead tore the paper off her wipe. ‘Have you been stalking me?’

“Ah, I know it sounds a little weird,” eyes turned up into crescents, Ito put her rubbing cloths in a neat little pile. “but I haven’t been stalking you.”

Rin froze and began to perspire. ‘Shit, she can read minds. E-Esper?!’

 

Updated: 22nd February 2020 - 18:57