Anime of You - Part 3 (Story)
Aug. 25th, 2009 02:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
major_kerinaI really enjoyed writing this...especially with the little touches.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 4
Part 5
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Anime of You – Part 3
Before I could put them in the trash bin, I heard knocking on my door. I closed the lighter, cleared my throat, and asked who it was. I could hear Mayu speaking to me through the door. She said, “Can I come in? I want to talk. I feel a little better now.” My mind rushed with explanations. I could tell my sister I just happened to find the papers in my bag. But it all felt like a weight upon me. I put my lighter down on the table.
With a sigh, I unlocked my door and held it open for my sister. As she peered in my room, her first moments of confusion turned to horror with the faint traces of smoke and the piles of the papers by the window. As her lips trembled, I shook my head and told her, “I’m sorry. I read the information paper and I thought I could fix things by purifying the papers. I’m so sorry.”
Mayu whimpered and rushed over to the papers. She fumbled with them and finally managed the words, “How…could you? What did you do?” She seemed far past anger. She seemed terrified. “I burned one. One of mine.” Her eyes wide, she asked, “Which?” I described it to her and her hand went up to her face. I felt a sympathetic shock. She shook her head and asked, “Is there anything left of it?”
I showed her the soot. She leaned her head back. Her body was slack. I approached her slowly, barely able to look at her. I told her which were hers and which were mine. Slowly, she reached over and picked up hers. She clutched her eyes and said, “I feel strange…”
I leaned closer. “What do you mean?” She squeezed her sleeved images to her breast and softly said, “It’s weird. That image was of Neil, the man I love. But earlier, when I thought of him in the nurse’s office and hugged my bag, I remembered someone named Heather. We were best friends, as close as sisters. And I remembered dad being with me, like it is here, only you were my…anime friend. My good friend but not my boyfriend.”
I wanted to shake my head. But I listened. I breathed slowly. I could still feel a trace of smoke in the air. It gave a charge to the air, like static. I admitted to her, “I felt…like I remembered something in class. I saw two girls in class and it made me think of two boys looking at girl-love comics. It was at an anime convention. I thought it was nonsense but…”
Mayu’s eyes lit up. “You can remember. Oh you can remember. You don’t know how much that means to me. I felt so alone. I felt ready to give in. But we have to find a way out of this.” I wasn’t sure if it was all that but it was a joy to see my sister’s eyes light up so much. I smiled at her and nodded. “So what do we do?”
She sighed at the soot. “We don’t have the picture for the convention anymore…so I don’t know how we’re going to get back there…or even if that’s the original version of things. It feels like it…but I could be wrong. I wish I knew what to do.” She looked down at her drawings and said, “I could just look at these and see if I’m meant to be a sexy catboy or a kung-fu master…”
I said back. “Or I could look at the ones I have…left…and see if I’m supposed to be a school boy or a skintight scary guy.” Mayu raised her eyebrows and noted, “So some of them change more with girl and boy versions. I wonder if that means something…” I brought the little information paper over to Mayu’s side and we looked it over together. At a certain point, Mayu sighed and said, “Neil lied…I guess.”
I widened my eyes. Mayu explained, “I guess Neil…just before…didn’t want me to look at the papers. He told me that black-haired lady said the papers gave off fumes. It was why I…being stupid me…had to sniff them over and show Neil…when Neil became you. It’s all my fault for being a stupid stupid idiot…”
I figured she meant A.R. I rubbed Mayu on the shoulder but it didn’t seem to help. She looked away from the paper and said, “With this, I might guess too that burning them would help. I don’t think I’d want to try wetting them. We could be stuck with nothing.” I felt a little better with her words.
Mayu looked at her sleeved papers and said, “I could test one of these on myself. If you touch the paper with me then we’ll both remember that something changed. Then we’ll know.” She touched the edge of one of them. I put my hand on her hand and said quickly, “Let me. I don’t want anything to accidentally happen to you.”
Mayu checked through mine and held both down. I made sure I was gripping the paper with Mayu. I took a breath. I touched part of Mayu’s hand along with the paper. I still felt upset about what I had done, so my fingers retreated from her hand but I still gripped tightly to the paper. With our hands never leaving the paper, Mayu turned over the first one.
It was the image of the skintight boy. He seemed so real. His image was incredible. I felt drawn in by him. And then, in another moment, the world shifted. I found myself still clutching the paper with Mayu. We had both changed and we were somewhere else. It wasn’t a place I liked very much.
It was dark and dank. It looked like a castle room with torch lighting and heavy, stone walls. I gasped and looked down. I was adorned in the form-fitting body-outfit. I was a lanky man who towered over Mayu. She wore a ragged, dirty dress with small tears in it. I tried not to dwell on the feeling of my body in the outfit. All that could get through my mind were trembles and a sensation of wrongness. Mayu looked up at me in surprise and grimaced as she said, “I hope you still remember me...”
I answered, “Mayu-chan…” Mayu breathed a sigh of relief. The sound of rough footsteps echoed from somewhere above. Mayu grimaced and said, “I really don’t like this world…” She still had the other paper in her hands. I touched the other end of the paper. I paused though. My hand was covered in the material of this bodysuit. I tugged on the sleeve roughly. I could hear the footsteps slamming into the stone above us. It sounded like they were going to crush us. Mayu helped me tug until I managed to separate my hand from the sleeve.
Immediately, I seized the paper and told Mayu, with my strange, manly voice, “Turn it!” In that same moment, a flood of helmeted soldiers with glowing, red eyes cascaded through a broken door. I tore my eyes from their horrific appearances and looked down at the familiar image of my body. I made sure my sister was clutching tightly to the paper too.
The shift seemed to take forever. I could sense the soldiers gaining on us, about to overtake us. I had no idea what would happen then. I tried not to think about it. I just opened my eyes and willed the image to take us back. In a breath, I turned to look up and found we were back in my room. Mayu panted and let the papers drop.
Cautiously, knowing what the information paper said about thirty-minutes but not fully trusting what it said, I looked down at the image of the body-suited man and the school boy. There seemed to be no power in them as I looked down. I looked up at Mayu and said, “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you…” Mayu rested against my bed and said, “Thanks. But I still have no idea what to do. I can’t test mine like that. Unless…” She sat there a moment and thought.
I scooped up the two papers and put them back into their sleeves. After a minute, I got up to check on mom and dad. They were laughing and watching a game show together. They asked me if Mayu was doing any better. I nodded and soon diverted the conversation to asking how they were. I listened carefully. I soon discovered that dad’s job was an anime director and not an insurance salesman. He was always good at art but he got married to mom at an early age and decided to take a more ‘established’ career to provide for us
Other little details had also changed. I noticed that the décor of the house was a little different. We still went to the same girl’s school and the world I could see outside the window didn’t seem significantly altered. It was deep into evening. The world was reddish and the sun a dim sliver by the mountains.
As I looked out at it all, I felt as though I could understand what Mayu said when she noted it looked like anime. The hills did appear a little like they were painted. Expertly painted. The sky as well. And even, as I looked down, my own hands. The fingers had the special smoothness of art. It was a strange discovery but I felt glad to be away from the strange, stone dungeon at least.
I paused on my way back to my room. I looked over at mom and dad. I rushed over and gave them both big hugs. They were surprised and laughed a little. I didn’t know why I did it. I told them, “It just felt like the right time to do it.” I blushed when my mom asked me if I was doing anything wrong but I just smiled and reassured her.
Back in my room, I told Mayu about the small but significant differences I’d noticed. She was sitting in front of all four papers. She sighed and nodded. She tapped her papers and said, “We could just try new combos but yours won’t be active for thirty minutes. So I’ll either be stuck as a neko version of me or a kung-fu fighter. Male or female. I’ve been wondering if we just need to run through all versions.”
It sounded like an interesting theory. She looked over her two papers and sighed to herself, “With the creepy world your paper came up with, I’m not sure what mine will draw. I hope kung-fu land and neko land are nice. And the flipside of your creepy world…if I remember…is sci-fi stuff.” Mayu set her papers down and leaned back. She noted, “It’d be kinda fun if not for losing memories and the scary stuff…” I wasn’t sure if I’d call it fun but I gave my sister a little nod.
Mayu tapped her foot and mused, “So I guess that leaves us with waiting for yours to work again. If we try school boy on you then we should be all through yours except for the last one.”
I thought about all the changes to the world since our trip through and back. I felt different too. This was real. Despite everything I believed, this world was not my home. Every moment I remembered growing up was not mine. Everything before lunchtime was either someone else’s or didn’t exist.
But, it was still all I knew and it wasn’t as bad as that dark place with red eyes. I gave my thoughts to Mayu. She rocked a little and said, “Yeah. I mean this place isn’t terrible. But I’m just a geeky American girl with a passing knowledge of Japanese from my grandmother. I’d sink like a brick in my classes.” I shook my head and told her I’d help her, no matter what. Mayu smiled and said, “The main reason I’d stay here is because of you.”
I smiled back and asked her softly, “Could you tell me more about Neil?” Mayu bent down and hugged her legs. “You still have his presence. It’s just your body and the situation that’s changed. Neil would do little things for me. Even in the piece of a reality I know a little about…he still bought me that silly, cute plushie…”
I chimed in without thinking about it, “Mascot character?” I wasn’t sure where that came from but Mayu nodded her head. She gave the name but I didn’t know it or the show it was from. Mayu looked me in the eye and said, “I guess I’m saying I feel you’re still you, no matter what. I hope that means I’m still me…”
I rubbed Mayu’s shoulder and reassured her. She leaned her head against my bed and, after a moment, said, “I guess we try the school boy form. Then we at least know we’ve tried the school boy/girl ones. Plus, this way, you can kinda tell me what it’s like to be a boy before I give that a try. Although you started as one.”
That notion unsettled me a little. I felt a little quiver in my legs. I didn’t know the first thing about how to be a boy. I sounded so strange. And yet, that’s how I was supposed to be. It was a lot to handle but I took a deep breath and told Mayu, “I’d be willing to give it a shot.”
We decided to do it before bed. I would’ve liked one last night asleep in my more-familiar gender, but Mayu figured that this way we could undo it pretty quickly if something went wrong. After some discussion, we put the three other images into my bag. And we were left with around twenty minutes left for the recharge.
So we resorted to talking. Not about our situation but about sisterly stuff. Mayu leaned on my bed and asked different things about our lives. She asked about her favorite subject. Surely art class, same as mine. I showed her my sketches and her own. It was funny to see Mayu gawk at images I remembered her drawing herself.
We messed around with each other’s hair. Mayu told me about her favorite shows, anime programs I’d never dreamed about here. She reenacted her favorite scenes from video games. I drank in her enthusiasm. I tried to hold her every word in my thoughts. By the time Mayu paused to look at the clock, hours had passed. I loved every moment.
I tried to accept the moment Mayu held the school boy art paper less like someone before a firing squad and more like the passage of one thing to another. I folded my legs. I held the other side of the paper from my sister. I looked down at the image of a boy with short, reddish hair. He had my eyes. And into his eyes my entire body seemed to fall.
When I rose again, I was someone else. Mayu looked at me and I looked back but we both noticed more had changed than just me. I looked around my room and saw what I hadn’t expected at all. Everything was an explosion of pink and frills and plushies. Lace and cuteness exploded from every inch of the room. Surely, this couldn’t be my room anymore…
Then I eyed the beaded, glittery paper on the wall that said, “Fujiwara Kyoko”. Moving around, I could tell I was the boy from the image. I didn’t even need to look in the mirror. But the form that looked back at me was such a pretty boy that I could easily mistake him for a girl. My body felt even smoother than I usually kept it. There was an unsettling, bulgy feeling around my groin which I tried my best not to dwell on.
I trembled a little as I looked at the boy in the mirror. However, his svelte shape looked really nice. I blushed as I turned around. When I spoke to explain to Mayu the glittery writing, I paused. My voice didn’t sound any different than normal. It was soft and girlish.
Mayu frowned when I told her what it said, “That’s weird. Did it mess up turning you into a boy?” I walked over to my closet and slid it open. My eyes widened. I had a little makeup table with all sorts of products. And then the dresses and outfits that outnumbered everything I’d ever bought as a girl. I felt a little underdressed in the jeans and t-shirt this universe had given me.
We found our parents still in front of the TV. They seemed largely unchanged. They didn’t seem bothered I was a boy, which unnerved me the most. Through a series of carefully-worded dumb questions, we learned my name was Kiyoshi. And I cross-dressed all the time for class because I went to the same girl’s school with Mayu.
I tried to not let my stunned feelings show to mom and dad. Mom gave us each a kiss on the forehead and told us to finish up whatever homework we had before bedtime. I had a plenty and so did Mayu but we just couldn’t get up the enthusiasm to do it. It seemed entirely pointless because the next alteration to the universe would probably just undo all our work.
I tried to get used to my new bedroom. I tried to get used to the way I walked. I tried. But it felt unnerving. I just wanted to be a girl again. I did give Mayu a little bit of information. She listened as intently as I did to her stories of games and animes. She eyed her papers a little but ultimately gave into exhaustion.
I knew that after my shower I’d be able to turn back into Kyoko…myself…but I thought about it a minute and told Mayu, “I think…I’d like to try being a boy for a while.” Despite the fact it unnerved me and felt strange, there was something about it that also made me feel curious.
I was intrigued by all the bath items that Kiyoshi had. He sure took care of himself. I settled into my bath with my head back and heart trying to relax. Having a flat chest was actually the nicest part. While Mayu envied my chest all those years in my head, I relished the idea of time away from it. And protrusion got as much distance as I could give it.
After I dressed and said goodnight to Mayu, mom tucked me in. I sighed up at the darkened ceiling. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring. I lingered on my mother’s smiling face and I felt my tears tickle the sides of my face. No matter how much I tried to wipe them away, they kept coming back.
I held my father’s laugh and my mother’s smile in my thoughts. They kept cycling over and over and over and I just couldn’t stop the tears. I fidgeted and turned in bed till there were hardly any covers left on it. Eventually, the tiredness of everything overwhelmed me and I slept.
As I woke the next morning, there was a moment where I almost felt like I did before. But it soon passed with strange itches and a painful ‘rigidness’ that made me turn bright red and swarm around the covers like a worm eager to go back into its cocoon until it changed into something else. My salvation was just a few feet from me but Mayu was away and I knew I would hate myself if I altered her mind to believe I’d always been Kyoko.
I shuffled over with my bed sheets around this strange, boyish body. I felt concerned by the pain of the ‘rigidness’. I hoped that was normal. It tried to take my mind off it by looked around this new closet I’d inherited. After a good bit of searching, I stumbled upon a boy’s school uniform like the one in the artwork.
I wondered a bit why I was wearing something else and not the uniform noted in the artwork. I wore the skintight outfit in the castle reality and my clothing hadn’t reset to what I was wearing when I…first became Kyoko…when I turned back from the skintight. I figured it was something I’d have to ask Mayu about.
After a few minutes of walking around, the rigid sensations receded and I could put my mind on other matters. Mom greeted me in the hallway. I always woke up early but apparently this was a surprise for Kiyoshi to do. Mom told me to go wake my sister because she had early sports practice.
That was something we hadn’t gleaned about this reality last night. I wasn’t sure how keen Mayu would be for sports so early in the morning. But I made my way over to her room. I found her curled up with her covers and hugging her pillow gently. I roused her with a little poke in the shoulder, like always.
She sighed and slowly looked up at me. Her eyes widened at me and then slowly relaxed. She noted, “Hoped…a little…that it would just all be a dream when I woke up.” I could sympathize with her. Naturally, my sister was curious what it was like to sleep as a boy. I told her it didn’t really feel much different than normal. I left out the most embarrassing details.
I introduced my quandary about my clothing being different from the image. She had no clue but did say that was the first time she noticed it. She figured it would be a good question for the black-haired woman. Then, I had to present her with the unfortunate news of early sports practice.
Mayu grumbled and leaned back. “Can’t I just use my artwork and get out of it? If I’m a kung-fu master then I won’t need to go to classes.” She was willing to wait until after we talked to A.R. though. I was a little anxious about what kind of boy her paper would turn me into and whether I would be brothers with Mayu or something else.
I expressed my feelings. She nodded and noted, “But if we’re both holding the paper then things will be fine.” Then a little frown spread on her face and she softly said, “I heard you last night a little. Kyoko…I wish I could do more for you. I wish I knew what to do. But I promise I’ll do my best to be here with you along the way.”
I felt glad for that and her help since the morning was hectic. I wasn’t sure what the procedure was for a boy at a girl’s school. I assumed it was a secret like in some melodramas I’d seen. Fortunately, all the items were laid out for me with some written notes that looked like they’d been done by someone emulating my handwriting.
After appliances were applied and I was happy with the wig, I looked in the mirror. I looked rather how I expected to look in the mirror. Sure, the form of my chest was detached from my body and I felt uncomfortably padded all over, but it was reassuring to see myself look like what seemed normal.
Me in drag didn’t flutter any eyes with parents. I didn’t really have time to dwell on the strangeness of all this. I checked to make sure all four papers were in my bag. I ate what breakfast I could. Then we left the house.
Being out in the cool, clear morning with the sun trickling over the horizon made me aware. Not only of myself but of that subtle richness that had spread to the colors of the world since the last change. Everything was immersed in anime style. It was subtler in people and I hadn’t seen much difference around the house. But looking outside, I felt like I was looking at the incredible paper artwork stretched around an entire world.
The morning, with people milling about in their anime textures, brought out self-conscious fear and concern. I was a boy. I knew that with every motion of my body. And yet at the same time I was trying to present an image of a girl to the world. I felt like the additions were as obvious as wearing a ridiculous costume. My legs quivered with each step away from the front porch.
I shivered despite the fact I felt quite warm in my outfit. I felt conscious of all the difference with my body. I felt scared parts of me would burst out and people would recoil in horror. I wanted to run back inside and look at the picture of my girl self. My mind was calmed by the soft scent of lavender perfume, which I’d found in the closet and applied.
I tried to breathe as I walked. With all the things I had around me, I was liable to pass out if I didn’t breathe. My stomach gurgled from the abbreviated lunch but soon settled down. Passing the houses slowly, we caught sight of “A.R.” tending to a small tree.
She had a branch clipper in her hands. Carefully, she snipped here and there and gathered up the fallen branches into a pile. She dusted her hands, smiled at us, and asked, “What can I do for you two?”
Mayu and I looked at each other. She tried, “Do you remember what we talked about last night when we came to visit you?” The woman gently brushed the trunk of her tree and said, “Naturally. The important parts at least.”
We posed our question to her. She reflected on it a moment with her hand gently caressing the bark of the trunk. “The images provide connections with the reality of mind and the reality of form. Your mental image of a red-haired girl version of you becomes fact. Or any of a myriad of thoughts you share, male or female.”
She rested her hand on a branch and followed it to where it split into more branches. “But when the papers are used by more than one person, the images are introduced to new constants in the variables. More constants lead to less predictability and more unintended effects.” Her hands followed the branches as the divergences increased.
I didn’t like the way that sounded. But it seemed to fit. Mayu scratched her neck a little and sighed. “Would that mean we could wind up further and further away from where we started because of…going together?”
The woman shrugged. “Could be. But by keeping each other constant, you at least know a little about where you’ll end up.” Mayu and I grimaced together. I pressed down my skirt a little. Mayu asked her, “And where do we end up? what do we do?” The woman’s eyes softened a little as she said, “You might be worse off… But I will say to trust in each other. Have a nice morning.” It wasn’t much to go on but we thanked her for her words.
I was also thankful that Mayu walked at my pace. I kept pausing to smooth my clothes but she stayed right with me. She held my hand when it trembled. She waited when I put my feet together at the curbs and took a few breaths. I was glad to have Mayu, even if she didn’t remember me as a girl.
Leaving the quiet of our neighborhood was jarring. So many people crossed here and there. They could see me revealed. I was sure they would see through this awful disguise. I kept my head down and tried not to meet their gazes. I feared someone would point at me. I couldn’t wait for when this would be over but I tried to keep as strong as I could.
I held my school bag in front of my skirt, fearful that something would go rigid again and make me pass out. I liked boys but being one didn’t appeal to me. I loathed it. I wished I could find some reason to take out the schoolgirl paper, even in public, but I worried about the variables A.R. mentioned.
When we finally made it to the train station, it was absolutely crowded with a crush of business people and students. Despite my best efforts, I bumped into so many people. My padding and everything was mashed and pushed and pressed. I was used to the crush but each touch felt new and strange.
One lingering look from a girl in a school uniform set me on edge. I worried she was seeing something in my disguise. I feared she found me out. But, if she did, she gave no sign. If not for Mayu, I was sure I would’ve screamed and passed out. With her, I pushed through the crowd and we made our way onto the train.
Mayu held my hand the whole way. She asked me if I was sure I wanted to do this. Despite my doubts, I nodded to her and said, “I want to make sure nothing messes up your paper. I’ll be okay. It’s not a big deal.” I doubted my words but I put on a little smile to reassure her.
I told myself I would look back on this and laugh. I would be glad for the experience as a boy and for the rest of the experience. But I wanted it to be done.
However, I also knew that being ‘done’ meant that the world I’d always known would be gone, possibly forever.
With that in mind, I tried to relax and enjoy what would be my last ride on the train to school. The morning air made the close train car feel bearable. For a moment, I could feel the appliances and additions to my body slipping away. I was just me again with my sister on the train. I felt a moment of peace.
The peace lasted until I glimpsed myself in something reflective. The image was distorted, showing every flaw. I felt hideous. But I took a deep breath and turned away. I told myself it would be okay. I reached into my bag and felt for all four papers. Touching them made me feel a little better.
The way to our school had never felt so long. When we got there, I had to use the restroom. The same restroom where Mayu…and I… changed yesterday. I shut my eyes. I wished I could lock the door. Every sound I made sped up my heartbeat. When I was done and everything was back in place, I told Mayu, “We need to try it now. I can’t take much more of this.”
Mayu nodded. We were alone for the moment. It was as good a time as any. I fished out Mayu’s papers and looked at each with them turned away from her. She took a breath and closed her eyes. I asked her, “How about the kung-fu one?” She shrugged and said, “Sound good.” As I slid the paper out of its sleeve, a girl suddenly pushed open the door to the bathroom. It was the full-figured girl from yesterday with red-and-green ribbons in her hair. She laughed to someone out of sight.
I tried to put the paper away but she passed by us and reached over. Before I could say anything, she had it in her hands. Mayu blinked her eyes open in confusion and turned. The girl held the paper in her hands and turned it. “What’s this? Cool art…”
I didn’t hear what she said next. Mayu responded first. She bowed her eyes and reached a hand out for the image. But her eyes seemed caught on the image, trapped and watching it inescapably. I reached out too, but a moment slower than Mayu. I was sure I touched paper. But, at the same instant, I felt like I was falling.
Then the world burst with sunlight. We were outside on a brown, gravel road. There were dense, deep green trees all around. They seemed so tall…
No…I was small. I was a young boy…I was turning ten years old in three days. I had this strange sense of my name.
It was Yuji Fujimura. But I still knew my name was Kyoko Fujiwara.
I wore a long, moss-green tunic and loose-fitting, silvery pants. I next to me stood a man with Mayu’s eyes.
My brother, Katsu. My sister, Mayu.
I knew he was seventeen since last month. He was muscular all over but I knew he was flexible and fast. He wore a flowing white top with black pants. The design looked Chinese but I knew this wasn’t China. It wasn’t the same outfit from the image. But it was the same man from the image.
Beside me, a young boy in a red-and-green patterned outfit started screaming. I remembered him as a boy named Kenji. He lived next to us. He trembled and let the paper fall to the ground. I wore a satchel which was several sizes too big for me but I put the paper back in its sleeve. The other three papers were already inside a pocket of the satchel. I remembered they’d been painted by a mystical woman who lived in town. She had long, black hair.
I felt strange. I could remember being Kyoko but I could also remember being Yuji. Memories of both crossed freely in my mind. My brother Katsu had special fighting powers. He’d protected our small village from thieves since he was a little boy. He powers came from this area.
There was a special land nearby that was only open to those with the talent to sense its boundaries. It made the resources richer but also kindled chaos in this land. I felt a pang of sadness that our parents had long ago passed away from this world.
The memories were confusing. I didn’t feel as bad about being a boy but I also felt an edge of anxiety. I felt like I was two people in the same head. I wanted to hug my sister and spar for fun with my brother, even though I knew he always won.
The screaming boy was even louder. I tried to shush him up but he flailed with me and screamed out questions that I couldn’t really answer in his hysteria. Finally, just about hoarse, he passed out on the ground.
Katsu…Mayu felt around her…his outfit. He was really tall next to me. She blushed and asked me, “Kyoko?” I answered him but told her about the conflicting memories in my head. She mused over the name Katsu and absorbed my information as he picked up the unconscious boy with ease and set him on his broad shoulders.
Suddenly, I heard a voice filter out of the trees. A branch snapped. Before I could turn, hands surrounded me. They tossed me about and pushed me into a tree. Everything was a blur.
I thought I saw Mayu fighting but it didn’t look like she was doing very well. I tried to throw my hands but I got whipped around onto a rough, tall tree root.
When I was able to stagger to my feet, I looked back towards the road. There was no one in sight. Mayu, the other boy, and the attackers were gone. I also realized, as I checked myself, that my satchel with all four papers was gone as well.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 4
Part 5
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Anime of You – Part 3
Before I could put them in the trash bin, I heard knocking on my door. I closed the lighter, cleared my throat, and asked who it was. I could hear Mayu speaking to me through the door. She said, “Can I come in? I want to talk. I feel a little better now.” My mind rushed with explanations. I could tell my sister I just happened to find the papers in my bag. But it all felt like a weight upon me. I put my lighter down on the table.
With a sigh, I unlocked my door and held it open for my sister. As she peered in my room, her first moments of confusion turned to horror with the faint traces of smoke and the piles of the papers by the window. As her lips trembled, I shook my head and told her, “I’m sorry. I read the information paper and I thought I could fix things by purifying the papers. I’m so sorry.”
Mayu whimpered and rushed over to the papers. She fumbled with them and finally managed the words, “How…could you? What did you do?” She seemed far past anger. She seemed terrified. “I burned one. One of mine.” Her eyes wide, she asked, “Which?” I described it to her and her hand went up to her face. I felt a sympathetic shock. She shook her head and asked, “Is there anything left of it?”
I showed her the soot. She leaned her head back. Her body was slack. I approached her slowly, barely able to look at her. I told her which were hers and which were mine. Slowly, she reached over and picked up hers. She clutched her eyes and said, “I feel strange…”
I leaned closer. “What do you mean?” She squeezed her sleeved images to her breast and softly said, “It’s weird. That image was of Neil, the man I love. But earlier, when I thought of him in the nurse’s office and hugged my bag, I remembered someone named Heather. We were best friends, as close as sisters. And I remembered dad being with me, like it is here, only you were my…anime friend. My good friend but not my boyfriend.”
I wanted to shake my head. But I listened. I breathed slowly. I could still feel a trace of smoke in the air. It gave a charge to the air, like static. I admitted to her, “I felt…like I remembered something in class. I saw two girls in class and it made me think of two boys looking at girl-love comics. It was at an anime convention. I thought it was nonsense but…”
Mayu’s eyes lit up. “You can remember. Oh you can remember. You don’t know how much that means to me. I felt so alone. I felt ready to give in. But we have to find a way out of this.” I wasn’t sure if it was all that but it was a joy to see my sister’s eyes light up so much. I smiled at her and nodded. “So what do we do?”
She sighed at the soot. “We don’t have the picture for the convention anymore…so I don’t know how we’re going to get back there…or even if that’s the original version of things. It feels like it…but I could be wrong. I wish I knew what to do.” She looked down at her drawings and said, “I could just look at these and see if I’m meant to be a sexy catboy or a kung-fu master…”
I said back. “Or I could look at the ones I have…left…and see if I’m supposed to be a school boy or a skintight scary guy.” Mayu raised her eyebrows and noted, “So some of them change more with girl and boy versions. I wonder if that means something…” I brought the little information paper over to Mayu’s side and we looked it over together. At a certain point, Mayu sighed and said, “Neil lied…I guess.”
I widened my eyes. Mayu explained, “I guess Neil…just before…didn’t want me to look at the papers. He told me that black-haired lady said the papers gave off fumes. It was why I…being stupid me…had to sniff them over and show Neil…when Neil became you. It’s all my fault for being a stupid stupid idiot…”
I figured she meant A.R. I rubbed Mayu on the shoulder but it didn’t seem to help. She looked away from the paper and said, “With this, I might guess too that burning them would help. I don’t think I’d want to try wetting them. We could be stuck with nothing.” I felt a little better with her words.
Mayu looked at her sleeved papers and said, “I could test one of these on myself. If you touch the paper with me then we’ll both remember that something changed. Then we’ll know.” She touched the edge of one of them. I put my hand on her hand and said quickly, “Let me. I don’t want anything to accidentally happen to you.”
Mayu checked through mine and held both down. I made sure I was gripping the paper with Mayu. I took a breath. I touched part of Mayu’s hand along with the paper. I still felt upset about what I had done, so my fingers retreated from her hand but I still gripped tightly to the paper. With our hands never leaving the paper, Mayu turned over the first one.
It was the image of the skintight boy. He seemed so real. His image was incredible. I felt drawn in by him. And then, in another moment, the world shifted. I found myself still clutching the paper with Mayu. We had both changed and we were somewhere else. It wasn’t a place I liked very much.
It was dark and dank. It looked like a castle room with torch lighting and heavy, stone walls. I gasped and looked down. I was adorned in the form-fitting body-outfit. I was a lanky man who towered over Mayu. She wore a ragged, dirty dress with small tears in it. I tried not to dwell on the feeling of my body in the outfit. All that could get through my mind were trembles and a sensation of wrongness. Mayu looked up at me in surprise and grimaced as she said, “I hope you still remember me...”
I answered, “Mayu-chan…” Mayu breathed a sigh of relief. The sound of rough footsteps echoed from somewhere above. Mayu grimaced and said, “I really don’t like this world…” She still had the other paper in her hands. I touched the other end of the paper. I paused though. My hand was covered in the material of this bodysuit. I tugged on the sleeve roughly. I could hear the footsteps slamming into the stone above us. It sounded like they were going to crush us. Mayu helped me tug until I managed to separate my hand from the sleeve.
Immediately, I seized the paper and told Mayu, with my strange, manly voice, “Turn it!” In that same moment, a flood of helmeted soldiers with glowing, red eyes cascaded through a broken door. I tore my eyes from their horrific appearances and looked down at the familiar image of my body. I made sure my sister was clutching tightly to the paper too.
The shift seemed to take forever. I could sense the soldiers gaining on us, about to overtake us. I had no idea what would happen then. I tried not to think about it. I just opened my eyes and willed the image to take us back. In a breath, I turned to look up and found we were back in my room. Mayu panted and let the papers drop.
Cautiously, knowing what the information paper said about thirty-minutes but not fully trusting what it said, I looked down at the image of the body-suited man and the school boy. There seemed to be no power in them as I looked down. I looked up at Mayu and said, “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you…” Mayu rested against my bed and said, “Thanks. But I still have no idea what to do. I can’t test mine like that. Unless…” She sat there a moment and thought.
I scooped up the two papers and put them back into their sleeves. After a minute, I got up to check on mom and dad. They were laughing and watching a game show together. They asked me if Mayu was doing any better. I nodded and soon diverted the conversation to asking how they were. I listened carefully. I soon discovered that dad’s job was an anime director and not an insurance salesman. He was always good at art but he got married to mom at an early age and decided to take a more ‘established’ career to provide for us
Other little details had also changed. I noticed that the décor of the house was a little different. We still went to the same girl’s school and the world I could see outside the window didn’t seem significantly altered. It was deep into evening. The world was reddish and the sun a dim sliver by the mountains.
As I looked out at it all, I felt as though I could understand what Mayu said when she noted it looked like anime. The hills did appear a little like they were painted. Expertly painted. The sky as well. And even, as I looked down, my own hands. The fingers had the special smoothness of art. It was a strange discovery but I felt glad to be away from the strange, stone dungeon at least.
I paused on my way back to my room. I looked over at mom and dad. I rushed over and gave them both big hugs. They were surprised and laughed a little. I didn’t know why I did it. I told them, “It just felt like the right time to do it.” I blushed when my mom asked me if I was doing anything wrong but I just smiled and reassured her.
Back in my room, I told Mayu about the small but significant differences I’d noticed. She was sitting in front of all four papers. She sighed and nodded. She tapped her papers and said, “We could just try new combos but yours won’t be active for thirty minutes. So I’ll either be stuck as a neko version of me or a kung-fu fighter. Male or female. I’ve been wondering if we just need to run through all versions.”
It sounded like an interesting theory. She looked over her two papers and sighed to herself, “With the creepy world your paper came up with, I’m not sure what mine will draw. I hope kung-fu land and neko land are nice. And the flipside of your creepy world…if I remember…is sci-fi stuff.” Mayu set her papers down and leaned back. She noted, “It’d be kinda fun if not for losing memories and the scary stuff…” I wasn’t sure if I’d call it fun but I gave my sister a little nod.
Mayu tapped her foot and mused, “So I guess that leaves us with waiting for yours to work again. If we try school boy on you then we should be all through yours except for the last one.”
I thought about all the changes to the world since our trip through and back. I felt different too. This was real. Despite everything I believed, this world was not my home. Every moment I remembered growing up was not mine. Everything before lunchtime was either someone else’s or didn’t exist.
But, it was still all I knew and it wasn’t as bad as that dark place with red eyes. I gave my thoughts to Mayu. She rocked a little and said, “Yeah. I mean this place isn’t terrible. But I’m just a geeky American girl with a passing knowledge of Japanese from my grandmother. I’d sink like a brick in my classes.” I shook my head and told her I’d help her, no matter what. Mayu smiled and said, “The main reason I’d stay here is because of you.”
I smiled back and asked her softly, “Could you tell me more about Neil?” Mayu bent down and hugged her legs. “You still have his presence. It’s just your body and the situation that’s changed. Neil would do little things for me. Even in the piece of a reality I know a little about…he still bought me that silly, cute plushie…”
I chimed in without thinking about it, “Mascot character?” I wasn’t sure where that came from but Mayu nodded her head. She gave the name but I didn’t know it or the show it was from. Mayu looked me in the eye and said, “I guess I’m saying I feel you’re still you, no matter what. I hope that means I’m still me…”
I rubbed Mayu’s shoulder and reassured her. She leaned her head against my bed and, after a moment, said, “I guess we try the school boy form. Then we at least know we’ve tried the school boy/girl ones. Plus, this way, you can kinda tell me what it’s like to be a boy before I give that a try. Although you started as one.”
That notion unsettled me a little. I felt a little quiver in my legs. I didn’t know the first thing about how to be a boy. I sounded so strange. And yet, that’s how I was supposed to be. It was a lot to handle but I took a deep breath and told Mayu, “I’d be willing to give it a shot.”
We decided to do it before bed. I would’ve liked one last night asleep in my more-familiar gender, but Mayu figured that this way we could undo it pretty quickly if something went wrong. After some discussion, we put the three other images into my bag. And we were left with around twenty minutes left for the recharge.
So we resorted to talking. Not about our situation but about sisterly stuff. Mayu leaned on my bed and asked different things about our lives. She asked about her favorite subject. Surely art class, same as mine. I showed her my sketches and her own. It was funny to see Mayu gawk at images I remembered her drawing herself.
We messed around with each other’s hair. Mayu told me about her favorite shows, anime programs I’d never dreamed about here. She reenacted her favorite scenes from video games. I drank in her enthusiasm. I tried to hold her every word in my thoughts. By the time Mayu paused to look at the clock, hours had passed. I loved every moment.
I tried to accept the moment Mayu held the school boy art paper less like someone before a firing squad and more like the passage of one thing to another. I folded my legs. I held the other side of the paper from my sister. I looked down at the image of a boy with short, reddish hair. He had my eyes. And into his eyes my entire body seemed to fall.
When I rose again, I was someone else. Mayu looked at me and I looked back but we both noticed more had changed than just me. I looked around my room and saw what I hadn’t expected at all. Everything was an explosion of pink and frills and plushies. Lace and cuteness exploded from every inch of the room. Surely, this couldn’t be my room anymore…
Then I eyed the beaded, glittery paper on the wall that said, “Fujiwara Kyoko”. Moving around, I could tell I was the boy from the image. I didn’t even need to look in the mirror. But the form that looked back at me was such a pretty boy that I could easily mistake him for a girl. My body felt even smoother than I usually kept it. There was an unsettling, bulgy feeling around my groin which I tried my best not to dwell on.
I trembled a little as I looked at the boy in the mirror. However, his svelte shape looked really nice. I blushed as I turned around. When I spoke to explain to Mayu the glittery writing, I paused. My voice didn’t sound any different than normal. It was soft and girlish.
Mayu frowned when I told her what it said, “That’s weird. Did it mess up turning you into a boy?” I walked over to my closet and slid it open. My eyes widened. I had a little makeup table with all sorts of products. And then the dresses and outfits that outnumbered everything I’d ever bought as a girl. I felt a little underdressed in the jeans and t-shirt this universe had given me.
We found our parents still in front of the TV. They seemed largely unchanged. They didn’t seem bothered I was a boy, which unnerved me the most. Through a series of carefully-worded dumb questions, we learned my name was Kiyoshi. And I cross-dressed all the time for class because I went to the same girl’s school with Mayu.
I tried to not let my stunned feelings show to mom and dad. Mom gave us each a kiss on the forehead and told us to finish up whatever homework we had before bedtime. I had a plenty and so did Mayu but we just couldn’t get up the enthusiasm to do it. It seemed entirely pointless because the next alteration to the universe would probably just undo all our work.
I tried to get used to my new bedroom. I tried to get used to the way I walked. I tried. But it felt unnerving. I just wanted to be a girl again. I did give Mayu a little bit of information. She listened as intently as I did to her stories of games and animes. She eyed her papers a little but ultimately gave into exhaustion.
I knew that after my shower I’d be able to turn back into Kyoko…myself…but I thought about it a minute and told Mayu, “I think…I’d like to try being a boy for a while.” Despite the fact it unnerved me and felt strange, there was something about it that also made me feel curious.
I was intrigued by all the bath items that Kiyoshi had. He sure took care of himself. I settled into my bath with my head back and heart trying to relax. Having a flat chest was actually the nicest part. While Mayu envied my chest all those years in my head, I relished the idea of time away from it. And protrusion got as much distance as I could give it.
After I dressed and said goodnight to Mayu, mom tucked me in. I sighed up at the darkened ceiling. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring. I lingered on my mother’s smiling face and I felt my tears tickle the sides of my face. No matter how much I tried to wipe them away, they kept coming back.
I held my father’s laugh and my mother’s smile in my thoughts. They kept cycling over and over and over and I just couldn’t stop the tears. I fidgeted and turned in bed till there were hardly any covers left on it. Eventually, the tiredness of everything overwhelmed me and I slept.
As I woke the next morning, there was a moment where I almost felt like I did before. But it soon passed with strange itches and a painful ‘rigidness’ that made me turn bright red and swarm around the covers like a worm eager to go back into its cocoon until it changed into something else. My salvation was just a few feet from me but Mayu was away and I knew I would hate myself if I altered her mind to believe I’d always been Kyoko.
I shuffled over with my bed sheets around this strange, boyish body. I felt concerned by the pain of the ‘rigidness’. I hoped that was normal. It tried to take my mind off it by looked around this new closet I’d inherited. After a good bit of searching, I stumbled upon a boy’s school uniform like the one in the artwork.
I wondered a bit why I was wearing something else and not the uniform noted in the artwork. I wore the skintight outfit in the castle reality and my clothing hadn’t reset to what I was wearing when I…first became Kyoko…when I turned back from the skintight. I figured it was something I’d have to ask Mayu about.
After a few minutes of walking around, the rigid sensations receded and I could put my mind on other matters. Mom greeted me in the hallway. I always woke up early but apparently this was a surprise for Kiyoshi to do. Mom told me to go wake my sister because she had early sports practice.
That was something we hadn’t gleaned about this reality last night. I wasn’t sure how keen Mayu would be for sports so early in the morning. But I made my way over to her room. I found her curled up with her covers and hugging her pillow gently. I roused her with a little poke in the shoulder, like always.
She sighed and slowly looked up at me. Her eyes widened at me and then slowly relaxed. She noted, “Hoped…a little…that it would just all be a dream when I woke up.” I could sympathize with her. Naturally, my sister was curious what it was like to sleep as a boy. I told her it didn’t really feel much different than normal. I left out the most embarrassing details.
I introduced my quandary about my clothing being different from the image. She had no clue but did say that was the first time she noticed it. She figured it would be a good question for the black-haired woman. Then, I had to present her with the unfortunate news of early sports practice.
Mayu grumbled and leaned back. “Can’t I just use my artwork and get out of it? If I’m a kung-fu master then I won’t need to go to classes.” She was willing to wait until after we talked to A.R. though. I was a little anxious about what kind of boy her paper would turn me into and whether I would be brothers with Mayu or something else.
I expressed my feelings. She nodded and noted, “But if we’re both holding the paper then things will be fine.” Then a little frown spread on her face and she softly said, “I heard you last night a little. Kyoko…I wish I could do more for you. I wish I knew what to do. But I promise I’ll do my best to be here with you along the way.”
I felt glad for that and her help since the morning was hectic. I wasn’t sure what the procedure was for a boy at a girl’s school. I assumed it was a secret like in some melodramas I’d seen. Fortunately, all the items were laid out for me with some written notes that looked like they’d been done by someone emulating my handwriting.
After appliances were applied and I was happy with the wig, I looked in the mirror. I looked rather how I expected to look in the mirror. Sure, the form of my chest was detached from my body and I felt uncomfortably padded all over, but it was reassuring to see myself look like what seemed normal.
Me in drag didn’t flutter any eyes with parents. I didn’t really have time to dwell on the strangeness of all this. I checked to make sure all four papers were in my bag. I ate what breakfast I could. Then we left the house.
Being out in the cool, clear morning with the sun trickling over the horizon made me aware. Not only of myself but of that subtle richness that had spread to the colors of the world since the last change. Everything was immersed in anime style. It was subtler in people and I hadn’t seen much difference around the house. But looking outside, I felt like I was looking at the incredible paper artwork stretched around an entire world.
The morning, with people milling about in their anime textures, brought out self-conscious fear and concern. I was a boy. I knew that with every motion of my body. And yet at the same time I was trying to present an image of a girl to the world. I felt like the additions were as obvious as wearing a ridiculous costume. My legs quivered with each step away from the front porch.
I shivered despite the fact I felt quite warm in my outfit. I felt conscious of all the difference with my body. I felt scared parts of me would burst out and people would recoil in horror. I wanted to run back inside and look at the picture of my girl self. My mind was calmed by the soft scent of lavender perfume, which I’d found in the closet and applied.
I tried to breathe as I walked. With all the things I had around me, I was liable to pass out if I didn’t breathe. My stomach gurgled from the abbreviated lunch but soon settled down. Passing the houses slowly, we caught sight of “A.R.” tending to a small tree.
She had a branch clipper in her hands. Carefully, she snipped here and there and gathered up the fallen branches into a pile. She dusted her hands, smiled at us, and asked, “What can I do for you two?”
Mayu and I looked at each other. She tried, “Do you remember what we talked about last night when we came to visit you?” The woman gently brushed the trunk of her tree and said, “Naturally. The important parts at least.”
We posed our question to her. She reflected on it a moment with her hand gently caressing the bark of the trunk. “The images provide connections with the reality of mind and the reality of form. Your mental image of a red-haired girl version of you becomes fact. Or any of a myriad of thoughts you share, male or female.”
She rested her hand on a branch and followed it to where it split into more branches. “But when the papers are used by more than one person, the images are introduced to new constants in the variables. More constants lead to less predictability and more unintended effects.” Her hands followed the branches as the divergences increased.
I didn’t like the way that sounded. But it seemed to fit. Mayu scratched her neck a little and sighed. “Would that mean we could wind up further and further away from where we started because of…going together?”
The woman shrugged. “Could be. But by keeping each other constant, you at least know a little about where you’ll end up.” Mayu and I grimaced together. I pressed down my skirt a little. Mayu asked her, “And where do we end up? what do we do?” The woman’s eyes softened a little as she said, “You might be worse off… But I will say to trust in each other. Have a nice morning.” It wasn’t much to go on but we thanked her for her words.
I was also thankful that Mayu walked at my pace. I kept pausing to smooth my clothes but she stayed right with me. She held my hand when it trembled. She waited when I put my feet together at the curbs and took a few breaths. I was glad to have Mayu, even if she didn’t remember me as a girl.
Leaving the quiet of our neighborhood was jarring. So many people crossed here and there. They could see me revealed. I was sure they would see through this awful disguise. I kept my head down and tried not to meet their gazes. I feared someone would point at me. I couldn’t wait for when this would be over but I tried to keep as strong as I could.
I held my school bag in front of my skirt, fearful that something would go rigid again and make me pass out. I liked boys but being one didn’t appeal to me. I loathed it. I wished I could find some reason to take out the schoolgirl paper, even in public, but I worried about the variables A.R. mentioned.
When we finally made it to the train station, it was absolutely crowded with a crush of business people and students. Despite my best efforts, I bumped into so many people. My padding and everything was mashed and pushed and pressed. I was used to the crush but each touch felt new and strange.
One lingering look from a girl in a school uniform set me on edge. I worried she was seeing something in my disguise. I feared she found me out. But, if she did, she gave no sign. If not for Mayu, I was sure I would’ve screamed and passed out. With her, I pushed through the crowd and we made our way onto the train.
Mayu held my hand the whole way. She asked me if I was sure I wanted to do this. Despite my doubts, I nodded to her and said, “I want to make sure nothing messes up your paper. I’ll be okay. It’s not a big deal.” I doubted my words but I put on a little smile to reassure her.
I told myself I would look back on this and laugh. I would be glad for the experience as a boy and for the rest of the experience. But I wanted it to be done.
However, I also knew that being ‘done’ meant that the world I’d always known would be gone, possibly forever.
With that in mind, I tried to relax and enjoy what would be my last ride on the train to school. The morning air made the close train car feel bearable. For a moment, I could feel the appliances and additions to my body slipping away. I was just me again with my sister on the train. I felt a moment of peace.
The peace lasted until I glimpsed myself in something reflective. The image was distorted, showing every flaw. I felt hideous. But I took a deep breath and turned away. I told myself it would be okay. I reached into my bag and felt for all four papers. Touching them made me feel a little better.
The way to our school had never felt so long. When we got there, I had to use the restroom. The same restroom where Mayu…and I… changed yesterday. I shut my eyes. I wished I could lock the door. Every sound I made sped up my heartbeat. When I was done and everything was back in place, I told Mayu, “We need to try it now. I can’t take much more of this.”
Mayu nodded. We were alone for the moment. It was as good a time as any. I fished out Mayu’s papers and looked at each with them turned away from her. She took a breath and closed her eyes. I asked her, “How about the kung-fu one?” She shrugged and said, “Sound good.” As I slid the paper out of its sleeve, a girl suddenly pushed open the door to the bathroom. It was the full-figured girl from yesterday with red-and-green ribbons in her hair. She laughed to someone out of sight.
I tried to put the paper away but she passed by us and reached over. Before I could say anything, she had it in her hands. Mayu blinked her eyes open in confusion and turned. The girl held the paper in her hands and turned it. “What’s this? Cool art…”
I didn’t hear what she said next. Mayu responded first. She bowed her eyes and reached a hand out for the image. But her eyes seemed caught on the image, trapped and watching it inescapably. I reached out too, but a moment slower than Mayu. I was sure I touched paper. But, at the same instant, I felt like I was falling.
Then the world burst with sunlight. We were outside on a brown, gravel road. There were dense, deep green trees all around. They seemed so tall…
No…I was small. I was a young boy…I was turning ten years old in three days. I had this strange sense of my name.
It was Yuji Fujimura. But I still knew my name was Kyoko Fujiwara.
I wore a long, moss-green tunic and loose-fitting, silvery pants. I next to me stood a man with Mayu’s eyes.
My brother, Katsu. My sister, Mayu.
I knew he was seventeen since last month. He was muscular all over but I knew he was flexible and fast. He wore a flowing white top with black pants. The design looked Chinese but I knew this wasn’t China. It wasn’t the same outfit from the image. But it was the same man from the image.
Beside me, a young boy in a red-and-green patterned outfit started screaming. I remembered him as a boy named Kenji. He lived next to us. He trembled and let the paper fall to the ground. I wore a satchel which was several sizes too big for me but I put the paper back in its sleeve. The other three papers were already inside a pocket of the satchel. I remembered they’d been painted by a mystical woman who lived in town. She had long, black hair.
I felt strange. I could remember being Kyoko but I could also remember being Yuji. Memories of both crossed freely in my mind. My brother Katsu had special fighting powers. He’d protected our small village from thieves since he was a little boy. He powers came from this area.
There was a special land nearby that was only open to those with the talent to sense its boundaries. It made the resources richer but also kindled chaos in this land. I felt a pang of sadness that our parents had long ago passed away from this world.
The memories were confusing. I didn’t feel as bad about being a boy but I also felt an edge of anxiety. I felt like I was two people in the same head. I wanted to hug my sister and spar for fun with my brother, even though I knew he always won.
The screaming boy was even louder. I tried to shush him up but he flailed with me and screamed out questions that I couldn’t really answer in his hysteria. Finally, just about hoarse, he passed out on the ground.
Katsu…Mayu felt around her…his outfit. He was really tall next to me. She blushed and asked me, “Kyoko?” I answered him but told her about the conflicting memories in my head. She mused over the name Katsu and absorbed my information as he picked up the unconscious boy with ease and set him on his broad shoulders.
Suddenly, I heard a voice filter out of the trees. A branch snapped. Before I could turn, hands surrounded me. They tossed me about and pushed me into a tree. Everything was a blur.
I thought I saw Mayu fighting but it didn’t look like she was doing very well. I tried to throw my hands but I got whipped around onto a rough, tall tree root.
When I was able to stagger to my feet, I looked back towards the road. There was no one in sight. Mayu, the other boy, and the attackers were gone. I also realized, as I checked myself, that my satchel with all four papers was gone as well.
