28After a very, VERY long hiatus from ANYTHING new. I've decided to start writing fanfiction again, BUT I've always been more of a parallel/parody type writer, and OC-centric (hate that term!). Anywho, this is told from the perspective of a new OC, named Emma. Most of this is in her head at first, so let's give this here fanfic a try.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ronin Warriors. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it. –shrugs- just sayin'.
Chapter 1
Shadowland
I've been in Japan for 2 weeks now. When I first told my parents I had saved up money from my PT job, they were skeptical. Who wouldn't be? I'm 15 years old, and asking to go on a semi-official-school-trip with about 30 other students ranging from 15-18, and only 6 chaperones isn't something my parents are prepared for. Yeah. Nothing can go wrong.
Rowen Hashiba. I met him when he came to America last
summer on an exchange. It wasn't a school trip - just sign-up-and-go, up to age 18. Rowen graduated high school at age 12, and frankly, that's wicked, but also he had said he was bored last summer, so his mom suggested he take a trip - footed the bill and everything. What a mom! My mom thinks I'm going to come back marred, or pregnant, or both.
Yeah, no.
"Oi." Rowen kind of punches my arm. "I'm readin' these plaques for YOU, y'know." He's not unhappy -Rowen likes the whole tourist-y thing I play at. I nod. "Yes, I'm listening." I'm also the only one of my class who bothered to expand her knowledge of the Japanese dialect. OSAKA-BEN is to Japan, what a deep-southern drawl is
to America. "Nah, you're spacin' out again. Y'know, it' s not every day you getta see this castle up close. My dad knows the curator is all, and thought it would be somethin' you'd like to do."
"So did you, obviously." I say, hands clasped behind my back.
Rowen frowns.
"Yes, I know. I AM listening. Shogun era." I bow a little. "I really appreciate you taking the time to show me around, too."
Rowen sighs. "Come on, let's go to the balcony. Then we'll head out to get lunch."
"Don't be mad, I was spacing out thinking about you, and wondering why no one else wanted to come today, or how I keep ending up babbling like an idiot, wishing I would just shove my foot in my mouth, and shut up." I grin, and shake my head a bit silly.
"Spacin'." Rowen snorts, as we continue up to the balcony.
I actually feel bad about this, because I DIDN'T tell anyone else about today, and it's selfish really - I just wanted to spend time with Rowen alone.
"You just wanted to spend time with me alone." Rowen shrugs like it's no big deal. "There a better view for pictures from the balcony. Besides, I know Yuriko-san will be around soon to close up for her lunch break."
"Are you psychic, and just pretending to be really smart?" I ask.
"190 IQ is average." I can tell by Rowen's expression thateven HE knows he's stretching the truth just a bit.
"On what PLANET?" I call after him.
He's right about one thing, the balcony is gorgeous for picture-taking, and a great opportunity for a photo of the two of us. I like my polaroid camera best for pictures. None of that 35mm crap.
"I guess the wind wants a picture of you, too, Rowen. It almost took this one away with it." I chuckle s we walk away from the castle.
"No way." Rowen blushes, and frowns.
"So what's for lunch? I vote Takoyaki!" I raise my hand and stop to grin at him.
Rowen's stopped walking, staring up at the sky. He looks so serious, and there aren't even any stars out - he's an astronomy nut. "Maybe we could call your dad? I bet Mr. Genichirou hasn't eaten yet today." I try to engage my blue-haired host. "Earth-to-
Rowen." I wave a hand out in front of his face. "Roooowaaan, you in there? I KNOW you're in there-all 190 points of you."
"Go back to the house." Rowen says.
"Don't give me orders; why should I go? You're supposed to be showing me around." I fold my arms.
Thunder rumbles far-off somewhere.
"Ooh, rain. Let's get take-out, and watch Godzilla movies from the 50s."
Rowen grabs my shoulders. "Don't argue with me, PLEASE, just go!" He runs off like his ass is on fire, or something.
"Big jerk." I mumble then shout. "Hey, you big jerk! What the hell am I supposed to do now, huh? I don't have a JR card!"
When Rowen says 'house', I'm sure he means the youth hostel rest of my fellow students from America are staying in, located outside Tokyo. From here, I can take the bullet train, but then I'll have to transfer to a local train to get to the town the hostel is located in.
First, though, I find a payphone, and call my instructor to let her know I'm starting my long trio back, albeit earlier than expected.
"Did you have enough time to see your friend? You can stay until tomorrow, Emma-chan." Miss Takashi sounds concerned.
"Yeah, I'll tell you all about it when I get back." I say, although it wasn't REALLY fine, but I don't want to worry Miss Takashi by telling her Rowen ran off like he did.
"Did you get Osaka food?" She sounds so excited about this.
"No, but I'll pick up some food from the train station." I get this sudden, weird, feeling down my back, like I'm being watched or something. It's a good indicator that I should get moving.
"Wish you were here. We are going to karaoke soon. I will sing a tribute for you." Miss Takashi's voice grins.
"Hey thanks. I should go catch the train now. Have fun at karaoke." I hang up and step out of the booth as someone walks up to use the phone.
As I walk, the air feels so...DOOM. I don't know how else to describe it. It's that achy feeling when you just KNOW something bad is going to happen, but you also know there's nothing you can do to stop it.
I make it to the train in time, and board. The whole ride, all I can think is that something is wrong.
A woman seated near me wakes me when we arrive at the Shnjuku bullet train station. When I step off the train, it's like an electric shock shoots up my leg.
DOOM. RUN. DON'T STAY HERE.
I wish I could tell just what's giving me these creepy feelings. As if the universe is answering me, it suddenly gets dark, and cold. I like up to see a thick layer of clouds
suddenly rolled in overhead. The sky is black, and the air seems to seep through my jacket, under my skin, and into my bones. People around me start to notice it, too, and chatter
begins.
"Is it a rain storm?"
"I'll keep you dry."
"Great, now I have to take taxi home."
"Hey, the street lights didn't come on."
"This payphone just stopped working!"
"The arrivals board just went dark!"
"Aww man, my walkman's busted!"
I keep walking, seeing no lights from the ad boards, the lights above go out, and everyone gasps. Outside, the streetlights ominously pop out, like all the light bulbs burned
out at once.
"Sorry, but the taxi won't start. The bus is having trouble, too."
I look around to see traffic is stopped, and the traffic lights are out, too. It's like the entire city just suddenly stopped, and shut down. I start walking, to get to a local train line. I pass an intersection where traffic officer is trying to direct traffic.
"Hey, move your car!" The officer shouts to one driver.
"Love to; you gonna get out and push?" the driver says back.
Every car is honking, people are shouting at each other, and generally not getting anything at all done about the unusual new circumstances.
A woman in a pink sweater and jean shorts runs up and jumps on the seat of a bicycle. "Sorry, I need to borrow this!"
Ballsy. I watch her ride away as the officer blows his whistle; yeah, like she's REALLY gonna listen when things are gradually starting to go from freak-blackout, to major
apocalypse.
Wow. Apocalypse, and I'm totally calm. Maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet. I take deep breath. I hope Rowen's okay.
Above, the lights from the buildings go out, and the severity of the situation really starts to sink in, but I tell myself panicking gets you nowhere, and does nothing. Just as
soon as all the lights have gone out, and like it isn't dark enough, a dense, black fog rolls in; right up the main street.
Something tells me, even if I found the train station to get out of here, I wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. People are really flipping out now as overhead, a helicopter with an emergency symbol in the side, comes to a whistling crash just above our heads. The flames of the explosion spill down the side of the building, and I make for the opposite side of the street. Panic really wants to rise, but I tamp it down, hoping wherever my fellow exchange students are, they're nowhere near this nonsense.
"This is really happening." I say to no one in particular. "What the hell is going on?" I look around as other people are starting to panic.
Above, thunder rumbles, just slightly at first, and then with an ear-shattering crash, lightning shoots down from the black sky, and strikes the buildings around the street. Twice, the three, and four times. Glass shatters from building windows, and rains down on the people. I hurry to the side of a building, pushing myself up against the wall to avoid the herd of people that erupts down every inch of street available, screaming and covering their heads; like that's really going to help.
Above the din, I hear a child's cries for his parents, and the parents cries back.
"Papa! Mama!"
"Son!"
"No!"
I look around from where I'm pressed against the wall, but I can't see him. Damn all these freaking people. I can see the street from here, mostly free if people. Everyone is trying to run under the awnings, to keep out of the falling glass. All I can do is stay here.
The window of a building up ahead explodes out, driving people into the streets, into the fog. The crowd dumps into the fog, screaming, and then...nothing.
Silence. The fog thins and lifts o a normal, gray-ish fog.
"What the fuck?" I stand up from the wall, and slowly step out onto the street. It's like walking on frozen ground in bare feet. The cold seeps right through my shoes, and into the bones of my feet.
"Sheesh." I look around. Eerie, still, silence is all that's left. The people are gone, the lights are still out, but a heaviness is till in the air, like, at any moment something is going to jump out and rip me to shreds. I have GOT to stop watching zombie movies with Rowen before bed.
An unnerving crack behind me sends chills up my back. I reeeeally shouldn't look. As I turn to look, the building is already leaning way out, like it's bowing to me, but I doubt this building is so much paying it respects than trying to fall on me.
"Are you serious?!" I start to run, but I can feel the air pushing down on me as the building is falling.
"Alley-oop!" Someone lands next to me from - somewhere - and jumps back into the air, with me, and we land on a building out of reach of the fallen structure.
"Wooooah! Woah! No, nono, no, no."
"It's all right, you're okay." He says.
"What the fuh...I was..." I point at the ground. "And now we're..." I gesture around. "And you're..you're a..." I get my wits about me. "Who are you?"
"Cye Mouri." He chuckles with a delightful English accent. "And, you're safe, is what you are. I think. Sorry, I can't stay and chat." He looks around. "Um, all right then, love?"
I shrug high. "I'm on top of a building." I lift my hands a bit to emphasize the shrug. "You tell me."
Cye nods, but is frowning. "Right." He looks around. "Um, here then." He goes over to the entrance to the roof stairs. "Here's the stairs. You should be able to get to ground level. How's that?" he smiles.
I walk up next to him, "Sure." I nod. "Thanks, uh, Cye?"
"And you are?" He asks.
"Emma." I say.
"Good luck, don't panic, Emma. And remember, I'm one of the good guys." Cye just jumps off the building like it's no big deal.
I stare for a moment then hurry into the stairwell. "Good guys." I say as I run down the stairs then abruptly stop. Does that mean there are bad guys?" Shaking my head, I decide there MUST be, but I can't worry about that right now. Hurtling out
of the stairwell, and into the building proper, I find I'm in some kind of outdoor store, on the top level, with a shit-ton of hunting equipment. This could be handy. As everything electronic seems to have run out of juice abruptly, some manually operated things will be alright. I'm thinking specifically of that badass crossbow hanging on the wall over there. And here mom thought taking those classes on crossbow operation and safety were a waste of time. I figure, if there's bad guys, I'll need to prepare for them. I'm handy with a crossbow, but I'll need something more to wear than just this dumb button-down shirt and khaki short-shorts.
So, I head down one floor. Camping gear; tents, and lanterns, and I can see a sign for freeze-dried food.
Next floor down, as I'm hopping the unmoving escalator, is clothes - score!- Pants are my first stop. Pants to keep out the seeping cold. Cargo pants; a girl can never have too many pockets. Then I find a turtleneck, and a hoodie, and pull them on. Warmer already. Next is outerwear; long rain coats and slickers and fluffy snow coats - ah ha! Boots. Yeah baby! I kick off the converse knock-offs, and find a pair of knee-high brown boots that are wool-lined and waterproof. I rummage for my size, and find some then get a long, gray rain coat, and head down one more floor.
All-you-can-grab-supplies. Not really, I men, I feel bad about technically stealing, but a girl's gotta survive the apocalypse in one piece, y'know? I grab the first backpack I see, and head for the fridge in the back. 3-1 litre bottles of water, some energy bars, a couple bags of trail mix (nuts, dried fruit, seeds), a first aid kit, a flashlight and extra batteries, an 'emergency' kit (2 flares, flare gun, whistle, blinking orange light), and last but not least, a co pass, because the girl survivor doesn't want to get lost. Before I head out, I run back upstairs to get the crossbow. It's lighter than the one I used, and I even find a couple boxes of bolts (100 count each). Last, I grab a lantern, and gently pack in a metal bottle of propane.
This girl is ready to rock, and she feels like a badass.
Then the ground begins to shake, and loose stuff falls off the shelves. Time to go! I leap down the escalators, and run for the exit just in time to see a huge, blade of light rip the sky and slice down into the city somewhere. Checking the compass, I
determine East...is where not to go. If good n evil are duking it out, I don't wanna get in their way.
'I'm one of the good guys' I remember Cye saying. Damn. I would feel alot better with a good guy on my side, and maybe I can help now. I look at the crossbow clutching in my right hand, and decide.
"Yup." I nod, and head East. Just as I'm reaching a side street, lightning rains down, going completely crazy all around me. "Oh, come on!" And then it's just gone, with only a rumbling of thunder left behind to indicate the lightning was ever there. "Okay." I gulp. "Definitely gonna go find the good guy...if he wasn't struck by lightning."
