Chō no Toshi [Anime Horror Story]

[Valik Sparks]

GRMM

You have heard the tale ever since you were but small children. A tale of competition, adventure, companionship, trickery, heroism, and betrayal...

The Great Race

Long ago... Before the time of man. When the world belonged to the animals, and the land was known as their Kingdom, given to them by the god-Emperor who, for his love of the shining green stone, was known as the Jade Emperor.

The Emperor called for a meeting with each animal. But more than a meeting, this event was a competition. For the Jade Emperor was planning to bestow blessing, riches, and eternal recognition upon those animals who proved themselves the strongest, fastest, or smartest, by reaching the meeting place first. The first twelve animals would receive the honor of being forever engraved in a divine system known as the Zodiac. A system that would guide mankind for millennium to come. These twelve proven animals would become like gods themselves.

In order to reach the Jade Emperor, there was a mighty river that had to be crossed. The cunning Rat teamed up with the Cat, as they connived together and decided that the best course of action would be to ask the kindly Ox to allow them to ride on its back, and ferry them across the river. Being naive, and too kind for his own good, the Ox agreed. However...half way across the river, the Rat's thoughts turned to darkness, and thinking to remove some of the competition, he suddenly pushed the Cat into the water. The Cat was immediately swept downstream, thrashing, and crying out...but its small body was no match for the torrent of water. And in the end, as the Ox reached the shore, the Rat hopped off its head and ran ahead, claiming first place for itself.

The Ox was able to claim second place, and the Tiger came in third soon after, having swam across the river, fighting the current with its mighty strength. Claiming fourth place was the small Rabbit, who explained how she was able to hop across the rocks in the water, however, she nearly lost the race when she slipped and fell into the river. But a branch bobbing in the water saved her life, as she clung to it, and it later washed her up on the shore.

In fifth place came the great, flying Dragon. Naturally, the Emperor was confused at how it did not manage to arrive sooner, but the Dragon readily explained how he had to stop and make rain, for the good of all the creatures of the earth. Then, on his way across the river, he spotted a helpless little Rabbit clinging to a branch, and so he stopped again to do a good deed, giving a puff of breath to push the Rabbit to shore. The Emperor was very pleased with the Dragon's actions, and though it received fifth place, it has always held a special honor and reverence amongst the other creatures of the Zodiac.

The sound of a galloping Horse had all believing that it was to take sixth place, but as it turned out, the crafty Snake was coiled around its hoof, and it darted forward, giving the Horse a fright and causing her to fall back, while the Snake claimed sixth place, and she came in at seventh. It wasn't long after that the Goat, the Monkey, and the Rooster arrived. They had all banded together to help each other, the Rooster spotting a raft, and the Goat and Monkey clearing it from the weeds and dragging it to the water. The Goat was given eighth place, the Monkey ninth, and the Rooster tenth.

In eleventh place came the Dog. Although he was supposedly the best swimmer, he couldn't resist the temptation to stay and play in the water for a little while. However, his explanation to the Emperor was that he had to stay and take a bath after the long traveling spell. Finally, coming in at Twelfth place, was the Boar. The little Boar had gotten hungry during her journey, and so she stopped for a meal, and then accidentally fell asleep for a time.

At the end of it, the Emperor gazed out across the river, as though he were still waiting for something. The Rat approached him, humbly reminding him of his promise to honor the first twelve animals to arrive. The Emperor only turned and smiled, revealing to the Rat that it was never his intention to only honor twelve animals. He would honor as many as took on the journey. But as he waited, no more arrived. It seemed that the only other animal who had taken part in the race was the Cat...who drowned in the river, because of the Rat's selfish and competitive ambition.

***

GRMM

The country is Japan.
The year is 2014.
The month is October.
The day is the 13th, a Monday.
The time is 7:15am.
The place is Akacho.

The same thing is still on the news. It's been the same thing all weekend. The same thing on every station. On every radio broadcast. On every talk show. It's not even that big a deal. Why is everyone making such a fuss about it? Why does it matter? Is some ancient chicken scratch carved into stone really that important? Does such dusty, old history really have that much relevance in today's society? Should it be allowed to change the fluid workings of the modern era?


Is finding out about a 13th Zodiac animal really that big a deal?


"Ohayo gozaimasu! I'm Namie Asuka, and welcome back to Red First News! Where we put you first, Akacho! Researchers, historians, and archaeologists are still buzzing over the amazing findings beneath our very own local temple, Chojiin. To think, that such priceless artifacts were beneath our own home soil all this time! And had termites not threatened the Chojiin temple site, we never would have dug beneath it, and these ancient scripts would still be lost in time! We are still waiting for full translations of the ancient text that was discovered, but what what we do know, is that the text provides conclusive proof that there was another animal in the origin story of the Zodiac! I'm sure you've all heard this by now, but given the significant tie between this animal, and our very own hometown, the revelation just can't be proclaimed enough! Perhaps all our lives, we've been missing one very special month, and perhaps, somewhere in the heavens, that very special Guardian Spirit of the Zodiac is looking out for us, even though we have been ignorant of it for so many years. Yes, maybe even you were born under its sign without even knowing! Dearest family and friends of Akacho... Shall we usher in a welcome for the long forgotten Spirit?

Shall we reclaim the Year of the Butterfly?

Many priests and government officials are convening to discuss the matter, but remember, your opinions and your feelings count! So make yourselves heard and go to our website, or send us mail! Do you want to see the return of a lost Guardian Spirit? Do you want to be the generation that brings honor to a long-forgotten god?"


It's always the same. Although Red First News seems to take this whole thing a bit far. It's true though. There's political talk about changing the entire calender system to include a 13th month. It's all just speculation right now, but still... That would be crazy, wouldn't it? Wouldn't that mess a lot of things up? I mean, it's not like the whole world would get on board with it. So wouldn't it just cause unnecessary trouble? Then again...many Japanese are very superstitious...and ignoring a god...that might kind of be a big deal. If you believe in that sort of thing, anyways.

Needless to say, over the past three days, there's been nothing but a "Butterfly craze" sweeping through the nation. Everyone's talking about it. Everyone has their own opinions. But for four, simple high school students...

...they just had an annoying alarm clock going off, telling them they have to get to school.

***

GRMM

Nanami

The small, white-haired girl didn't have the luxury of jumping out of bed and hurrying to get ready. Her actions had to be calm, and measured, thanks to her rather sensitive cardio-vascular system. But by now, she was used to that, and as she arose, she started about her morning routine, preparing for another week of school. There was a slight chill hanging in the air. The temperature was dropping as winter approached. But the sun shone brightly outside, and a few leaves blew in the wind. There was something else too...

A small group of red butterflies, flitting about, outside her window. They were dainty, small, frail. But beautiful.

Everyone was kind of going crazy about Butterflies right now, but...it didn't much affect her. Although, last night when she was on her computer, she was noticing certain advertisements popping up everywhere, offering to tell her if she may in fact have been born in the year of the Butterfly. There was some sort of mathematical process that people had gone through, adding a thirteenth month and calculating which birth dates would've fall under its sign if it were in fact a real month. As it turns out...if there were a Year of the Butterfly, Nanami actually would've been born under that sign.

...but did that..matter?

For now, she just had to get to school. There was a little bit of tension in her house right now, but her parents were pretending there wasn't. Her father had been offered a very good job in Hokkaido, but he'd have to fly there and work a few months with them before they decided if they'd keep him or not, and if he did that, with her mother sick as she was...there wasn't really anyone to take care of Nanami. They were hoping that her mother would get well soon, but if anything, as of late, she's been getting worse... In fact, she's...not even up yet, today. She must still be in bed. But even just yesterday, she had been able to rise early, as she liked to do...

Would she have to go to a hospital..? And if so...then what?


Nanami thought she caught the sound of her father's voice in the living room. Probably on the phone.

"Thank you...thank you. It's... it's really the only thing I can think to do right now. I'm so sorry for troubling you like this."


Shaylin

"No, no no! It's no trouble at all! We can definitely do it. Just let me know when. ... Oh. That soon? I--No! Not at all. Really, I promise, it would be our pleasure. Yeah. Of course. Yes. You're very welcome, please don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

It was his father. Downstairs, on the phone with someone. But this house had thin walls. Shaylin could hear him pretty easily. ...the cold air also got in easier. He found his body shivering even under the thick blanket over top of him. He'd need to start doubling up or something...

But now he had to get ready for school. Ergh. Mondays. At some point, he spotted his young brother wandering by, looking like a mess, like he'd just got up, and instead of getting ready, he was just walking around in a zombie trance, with his phone out. He stopped, frowning.

"Damn."

He held up his phone for Shaylin to see. 'Sorry! If there were a Year of the Butterfly, you would not have been born in it!' Then he brought the screen back to his face and shrugged. "I checked you too. You're still a Snake. And I'm still a Rat." He trudged off, muttering, "I freaking hate rats."


Hinoiri

She awoke in the eerily quiet home of her aunt. It was still unsettling, even after all the time that had passed. But at least...

"Meeeeoooowwwww..!"

Kumori. His scratchy, boyish mewl was unmistakable. He often came by in the mornings and walked with her to school. But usually she didn't see him until... Her gaze caught her alarm clock. It was well past the time that it should've woken her up. Did it not go off?!

Outside her window, Kumori mewed again. If not for his noise-making...she might've slept in even more! As it stands now, she barely has enough time to get ready. And whether she really cares about school or not, that "oh crap I'm gonna be late" shock jolts her with a sudden adrenaline boost as she flies out of bed and begins what is going to have to be a rather rushed routine.

Outside the window, Kumori's tail flicks playfully as he sits on his hinds and peers upward...a red butterfly is perched on his nose. It causes her to stop and look for just a moment. Kumori playfully swats at the insect, which just flits upward, and then begins circling him, the two of them engaging in some kind of friendly dance around each other, it seems.

Butterflies... Everyone was talking about them suddenly. She was born in the Year of the Rabbit, but if a thirteenth month got added in...would that change things? Pffft. Did it even matter?


Hideki

You are a Dragon... I am a Dragon... and my father before me was a Dragon...

SO FIGHT LIKE A DRAGON!

Hideki found himself lurching upright, sweating...but the air was cold. A dream. Another stupid dream. It was bad enough his father had something negative to say to him virtually every time they entered each others' presence... So did he really have to dream about it too?

It was five minutes before the alarm would go off. Another day. Duties and responsibilities. Schedules and routines. Always the same. Even with this whole...Butterfly thing going on. It had no affect on his daily life. Just for the sake of curiosity, and perhaps wondering if there was a chance his father was wrong...he had checked out one of those "Are you actually a Butterfly Baby?" calculators. But, no dice. He was still a Dragon. What was he expecting? And what would it really change if he had been hypothetically born under a hypothetical sign?

This whole thing was... was... Silly? Stupid? Pointless? Maybe. Who knows. It didn't affect him. It changed nothing. He had a routine to carry out. An obligation to fulfill...

Regardless of what he actually wanted, it was time once again to carry the family burden.

***

...Forgotten...

Left behind...

Lost..

Thrown away..

...left to die..

..Killed..

EATEN

..Buried.

...FORGOTTEN...

...Left to die..

Years...and years...

SUFFERING

Forgotten...abandoned...ignored...

No more...

[fendrin]

Hideki

Get up. Wash face. Put on uwagi and hakama. Morning practice. Remove uwagi and hakama. Shower. Put on school uniform. Eat breakfast. Everything with crisp, clean movements. Precision. Precision. Precision.

As long as I follow the routine no one will bother me.

The morning moves by quickly, and Hideki leaves for school a full ten minutes before he has to, bag at his side, shinai in it's case on his back. Taking his time, he enjoys the briskness in the air. Along the way, he overhears a bit of conversation about the butterfly thing.

Of course I wouldn't have been a butterfly. 3 generations in a row of dragons, maybe more. Surely that can't be a coincidence. Was it planned? It wouldn't surprise me with this family. I doubt I'll be married by the time I'm 24, will they force me to wait until I'm 36 to have children? What if I have a kid 'off-schedule'? What would they do then?

Why am I even thinking about them? It's a waste of a perfectly lovely morning walk.

Arriving at school, Hideki puts his shinai in his locker and heads to his classroom. Finding his seat he sits quietly waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Always a good day when I make it school without talking to anyone... hopefully the rest of the day will be this good.

[Hemnon]

Nanami

Nanami didn't want to disturb her dad or mom, so she quietly made herself her breakfast and did her lunch as well. It was excellent as usual, seasoned just right to give the rice a nice compliment for the rest of the lunchbox.

She'd made too much... again... so she decided to prepare a lunch for her only real friend, Shaylin, hoping that he'd at least look for her in the library doing lunch or wait outside her classroom, since she disliked using the stairs up too much. wasn't the best thing for her heart after all to race up and down those things.

after eating her breakfast quietly while she prepared the lunchboxes, she cleaned up after herself and headed off to school with a soft "Bye mom and dad" as she opened the door.

She was early.... as usual. But that just gave her enough time to relax before going onward to fight those evil stairs up to her classroom... which was 2 floors up from ground-floor. Nanami didn't really feel like going up there yet, so she sat on the first step up the stairs, plugged a set of earphones in her ears to listen to some calming music and took out a book so she could hopefully finish it before school started.

(She's basically in plain sight for everyone who enters the school, however she is often overlooked by most and even those who DO realize she's there rarely speaks to her.)

[Rysc]

Hinoiri

I shouldn't have stayed up so late last night. But the stars... Strange. After all this time, she still half-expected her mother--Don't think. Go, go, go.

She dresses as quickly as possible and rushes down the hall, combing her fingers through her hair as she runs. Pausing by the front door to yank her hair back into some semblance of a ponytail, Hinoiri grabs her school bag from where she had placed it in preparation the night before and hurriedly browses through it. Good. Notebooks, pencils. Textbooks.

Late, I can't be late. I'm late. Like the White Rabbit.

She jerks on her coat and heads out the front door, and upon seeing the cat, strokes Kumori once. "Thank you. I'll have to see you after school, though."

She breaks into something between a brisk jog and an all-out run. The White Rabbit. Late. I'm a Rabbit, and I'm going to be late. It all connects somehow, doesn't it? And now butterflies. The Cat should have been honored with a year for trying instead. Kumori would have been happy. A thirteenth month? That would make life so much more confusing than it already was. What were those people thinking?

'We're all mad here.'

The school comes into view. Most of the students are already there, presumably heading inside, with the exception of a few stragglers. Like Hinoiri. Even the white-haired girl was earlier. She was usually early, though, or at least in the past when Hinoiri had arrived ahead of time she was there.

Door. Stairs. Locker. Lunchbox. Wait, lunch? She inwardly groans. Well, no big loss. It'd happened several times in the past, and she didn't really eat much anyway. More time to read, to write.

She inhales deeply, then strides through the halls to brave her classroom. Most people probably viewed her as sort of a fixture of the school day anyway, like the desks and lockers, and her coming in a little late wouldn't make her any less invisible. Hopefully.

[CryWolfCorrupt]

Shaylin

Shaylin laughs as his brother Kazuko wanders off muttering about rats. You cannot change your sign, little brother, he thinks as he looks out over the covers before ducking back into his cocoon. Do I really have to go? It's my last year and all and I just don't have the motivation to --

He stops as the sheets are ripped off him and his father is standing over him. "Time to get up, Shaylin. It's only the second month of school and I know you're ready to call it quits, but you can't. You must graduate and I will not have you lying around all day." He takes the covers with him, leaving them in a heap on the floor by the door. Shaylin reluctantly gets up, dragging his feet in protest. He yawns as he pulls on a nice black and white striped polo and his khakis, almost tripping over the pile of sheets as he pushed his feet through.

As he sits down to cereal without milk (his preference), Shaylin looks to his father. "What was that phone call all about?" he asks him. When his father doesn't answer, he shrugs it off and finishes up, grabbing his courier bag, his gun, and his brother and driving them to school on his motorcycle. It was chilly, but his leather jacket kept him warm. He gave his good gloves to his brother, and as they pulled up, made sure he got them back before wishing Kazuko a good day. As he walks to the school stairs, he sees Nanami listening to music.

He tries to mesh with the crowd until reaching her, then plopping down on the stair beside her. "Ohayo gozaimasu," he says, playfully pulling her headphones out. "Ready for another day? Do you need a hand getting up the stairs today?" He stands and offers her his arm.

[Hemnon]

Nanami

Nanami would of course have answered Shaylin with her usual cute smile and clear, blue gaze.... except that was kinda hard to do right now, because she had fallen asleep over her book, remaining upright and all with her shoulder resting against the wall to keep her sleeping form steady. her book was held in a slack grip and, at first glance, it did look very much like she was just reading her book. But that was just not so. she had up and fallen asleep. Right there. On the stairs. With no one else even realizing she had done so.

A barely audioable murmur escaped her lips, something about... Butterflies, was it? it was hard to really catch on to, to begin with, so it might just have been a wordless sound.

Nanami just slept peacefully on that first step of the staircase, blissfully gone into dreamland.

[CryWolfCorrupt]

Shaylin

When Shaylin notices her faintly moving lips, he looks down to see her asleep. Laughing to himself, he stays by her, waiting for the bell, making sure none of the other students get to her. This whole 'Butterfly' business was crazy. He hopes that Kazuko lets it go. After all, being a Rat means wealth and friends. He wonders what sign Nanami is, and suddenly blushes for never having thought to ask. When the bell rings, signifying only 5 minutes before classes were to begin, he gently shakes Nanami awake and again offers to help her up the steps. When she groggily replies, he takes her hand and pulls her up, grabbing her books and putting her arm over his shoulder and around his neck.

[Hemnon]

Nanami

With a little yawn, Nanami awakes with bleary eyes to the sight of Shaylin's smiling face, to which she gives of a gasp of shock and a slight pink blush in her cheeks.

She doesn't say anything though, a bit too blushing still to even get a word it, so she just silently accepts the help offered and traverses those infernal stairs without much of a raise in her heartbeats.

as they reach the Junior-floor, she lets go of Shaylin and just stands there silently, nibbling on her lower lip, not really sure what to actually say before parting with him to go to her classroom. Her white hair and blue eyes give her a sort of gentle aura of peacefulness and content. and her short stature only helps to accentuate that.

"Soooo.... ummm..." she voice out hesitantly and goes silent once again.

[Valik Sparks]

All

GRMM

As Nanami stands just outside the classroom with Shaylin, fidgeting and struggling to produce intelligible words, she suddenly finds that words are..streaming out. Very fast, and bright, and energetic-like, and...loud. Wait, those aren't her words at all. That's--

"Heyyyy!~ Namichan!"

The quiet of the hallway has been utterly and completed murdered by Misha's painfully loud voice. She is literally bouncing down the hall towards Nanami and Shaylin, Shizune behind her, moving briskly to keep up, a look of irritation clear on her face. Misha quickly snatches Nanami by the hand as soon as she reaches her. She casts a grin at Shaylin.

"Sorry Shaychan, but we have to take Namichan away from you! She's in our class!" Shizune begins making swift, cutting motions with her hands. "Wahahaha!~ That's right Shichan! Shaychan better get to class soon, or he'll be late!" She turns back to Shaylin, planting her hands firmly on her hips, and..trying..to look serious. "That's very bad Shaychan! You can't be late! Right? Right!~ You better hurry! Hahaha!" And with that, she takes Nanami by the shoulders and pushes her right into the class.

The amusing spectacle is beheld by the majority of the class, who have already arrived, including Hideki and Hinoiri. Aaron, sitting somewhere towards the back of the classroom, focuses his dead-eyed stare right on Nanami, and holds it, staring at her as she takes her seat, and not looking away for a moment, even as Takashi stands up from his desk and begins his lecture.


"So if you want this number here, you've gotta go back over here, take the derivative, and..." Takashi's droning voice trails off as he starts marking the board faster to get the longer equation taken care of. He steps back, and turns to survey his class. It's been about 20 minutes, and most of the students are looking dead tired. Mondays are always the worst. There's at least three students who look to be totally asleep. Takashi just gazes out at the classroom, looking a little blank. Then he grunts. "Dammit, if you're that tired, just go to sleep already. I'll give you some homework to do, and everything you need to know is in your textbooks. Come to me if you have questions." He reaches a hand up to his mouth, as though there were a cigarette there, but then stops, grasping nothing but air. A quick scowl flashes across his face, and then he goes to his desk and retrieves a stack of papers, handing them off to Shizune, who begins passing them out to all the other students. Just as Takashi is about to sit down, he stops, looking at Aaron, who is still staring quite openly at Nanami. "Aaron." He grunts. "What did I say about the staring? You're creeping everyone out. If you've gotta look somewhere, look at the board. Or me." Aaron slowly shifts his gaze to stare at Takashi, who just sighs and sits down, scratching his head.

Once the homework has been passed out, students are either getting busy and making some early headway, or saving it for later and using the free time to quietly talk amongst themselves, or just sleep. Aaron is doing his homework, but continues to cast long glances at Nanami. But soon enough, the bells ring, and the period comes to an end.


Meanwhile, in Class 3-1...


"And do you know what he said?? He said, 'Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think this will work out, because I'm looking for a girl who's still in her Prime, so we can have lots of kids together!' Excuse me but, WHAT THE HELL?! 'In her prime' --since when is 28 years old not in the prime zone!! And I told him that too, I did! And he just stuttered some bull**** about women maturing faster than men! I mean this guy is HOPELESS! He's gonna be single forever! He's...! ERRRGH. That's it! Screw vocabulary, we're learning Biology today! Starting with female health! And the first thing I will have you know is that 28 years old is a completely marriageable age for a young woman! It is in fact, still in her prime, and god-freaking-dammit if any of you young men in here ever go out and judge a woman based on her age I will find you, and I will slaughter you!!"

Ms. Ritsuo is very passionate today.

***

Soon enough, after a few periods go by, the bells ring, signaling Lunch Break. Nanami's stomach growls involuntarily. She's been inordinately hungry today. And she's craving some luscious, juicy meat; terryaki, teppanyaki, tempura, doesn't matter, so long as it has some good, meaty proteins. All around her, the hustle and bustle has begun. Aaron continues to stare at Nanami, but does not follow her. When he leaves the classroom, he seems to be heading towards the cafeteria. Of course, the first one to leave is Shinobu, who, as per usual, has everything already packed and ready to go five minutes before the bell rings, and then, the second it does, she flies out of that room like a bat out of hell. She never eats in the cafeteria, or any other obvious spot. Probably hides in the nurse's office.

Shizune and Misha are signing animatedly to each other as they head out of the classroom. Turns out Errie and Bo from class 2-2 are just out in the hall, squeezing against the wall to be out of the way of the mob heading to the cafeteria. Errie and Bo are both wearing...cat ears. And cat-paw gloves. And they have whiskers drawn on their faces. They're each holding what appears to be stacks of flyers, and from a distance, the only visible text is the large, cheesy-font on the front that reads: What About the Cat?! Misha and Shizune retrieve plastic bags stuffed with unknown items, and quickly disappear into the restrooms nearby.


Welcome to Akacho Standard High School. Yeah. ASHS. Ash, Ashes, Ashtray. You've heard all the jokes. But despite what snobby private-school-goers say... the ASHtray isn't such a bad place. It's homey. Quaint. Spirited. And it's got personality. Every semester holds something new. What could be waiting for you this term...?

[Hemnon]

Hearing that all-to-familiar voice made Nanami cringe, just as Misha herself reached for Her hand. As she was dragged off to class and away from Shaylin, just only just managed to call out a few words: "I made extra for lunch, so if you want come back to my class then~....!" her voice was that same sweet, mellow yet clearly audible sound as always, so it was very hard to miss.

With an surrendered pout, she just waved to Shaylin as she was finally dragged in past the doorframe and vanished from Shaylin's sight.

Aaron was starring at her..... again. It wasn't really THAT mad though. Sure there was lots of weird stories going around about him, but Nanami never took them to heart. she didn't judge others by what others say about them, she prefer to observe and learn for herself, who and what kind of person everyone is... and not to brag, but she'd gotten pretty good at that sort of stuff... even more so since she had her first heart attack. Some would just call her extremely sensitive towards others, but she didn't think that was it... it was something, else.

After suffering through what seemed like an age, Nanami finally had to do something about that Starring. she took out a big piece of paper and wrote on it, before raising it up so Aaron could read it. It said "You'll appear a little less creepy if you would just blink once in a while. Don't you get really dry eyes from all that starring??" It wasn't meant as a joke, just a sudden thought that she'd scribbled down in the form of a question.


Finally, Lunch was here.... and wow Nanami felt hungry for something MEAT. She was so glad right now, that she'd stuffed her lunchbox with her favorite food today. One wouldn't think so, but Nanami ate quite a lot of food in a day.... It was rather comical actually, that such a small petite girl could stuff herself with so much food. Her regular lunchbox was triple-size what a normal one would look like, though it WAS a Girlish Red with Blue and pink butterflies on it.
She was sitting there, nibbling on her lower lip, willing to wait the most of 10 minutes. If shaylin didn't appear by then, she'd just go off and eat by herself. In the meantime, while waiting, she decided to try and dull her hunger for a short while, by reading a little.

[Rysc]

Hinoiri

As Misha pushes the white-haired girl--Nanami?--into class, Hinoiri inwardly winces. Misha was a bit...obnoxious? No, more like...obliviously cheerful. But she meant it all in good spirit. Hinoiri turns her attention back to the teacher.

Ah, homework. Well, better get this done early so I'll have time to go out later. She flips open her various textbooks and (school) notebooks, and gets ready to start, pausing for a bit over her personal notebook. In the end she sighs and focuses on the homework in front of her.

As the bell rings for lunch break, she neatly packs her supplies into her bag and head out. For some reason two students are dressed as cats. She's pretty sure they're the ones who have been trying to start some sort of Zodiac club. The legends and history and research and analysis were actually quite interesting, but she preferred to keep her thoughts to herself, especially the ones about others. Heading past them, she notices the titles of the fliers. Oh..so that's what the cat costumes are for. Interesting...and strange, others actually think about the things I do. She hesitates, then continues on. Errie's probably going to try to get me to join. There'll be plenty of fliers on the floor by the end of break, so I can get one for Kumori then. They could've used a nicer font, though...

At the cafeteria, Hinoiri looks for an empty table--or at least a relatively vacant one. Spying one in the far corner, she starts the slightly arduous trek through the crowd, at the same time fingering the money in her pocket. Some food would be nice--next time she would make sure to at least eat something for breakfast--but waiting in line...Anyway, she needed to get a new notebook. She could get something after school. Arriving at the table, she pulls up a chair at the farthest side, relaxing slightly. Good, I can be alone. She retrieves her fountain pen and her notebook, and spreads it open before her to a new page. She carefully applies nib to paper.

October 13th, Monday

late

Kumori is like a cat

butterflies with wings like coralberry

the white rabbit

the year of the cat?

Flipping back a few pages, she starts to revise some sentences from an older bit of writing, blocking out the noise and soon forgetting that she's actually hungry...

[CryWolfCorrupt]

Shaylin waved and laughed as Mischa and Shizune dragged Nanami away. "Dewa mata, Michan!~" he says and waves again to Nanami as she leaves his sight. Sprinting up to his own class, he makes it to his seat right as the bell rings and Ritsuo began her vocab lesson.

As the lesson drolled on, her teaching turned into the way some man she was dating had talked to her. How she had corrected his speech on something, when suddenly the entire conversation (and relationship) changed drastically.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think this will work out, because I'm looking for a girl who's still in her Prime, so we can have lots of kids together!' she yelled. Shaylin sat at attention as she yelled at the class about her ex-lover. Something about 'acting like my mother' or something. Shaylin raised his hand.

"Ms. Ritsuosan, I think you're perfect and any man would be lucky to marry you," he said with a small wink. More as a joke than anything else, it worked as the class erupted into laughter and began poking fun at him. Ritsuo smiled wide and laughed along with them and the bell rang for lunch. Shaylin wondered what Nanami had packed for lunch. He assumed his dad had probably forgotten to put money in for his lunch plan. Which meant he would have to fork over some of his cash from his summer job to pay for Kazuko.

When he finally fought his way to the stairs through the flood, he found Nanami who was still being trailed by Mischa and Shizune. Greeeeeat....~ he mutters. Waving at Nanami, he finally meets up with her. "Michan, Shichan," he nods to each with a smile. "Nami, where are we eating today? The cafe, outside, or the back room in the library again?" he says playfully, poking her lunchbox. "I brought some graphic novels we can look through!"

[Hemnon]

Nanami

At Shaylin's question about where to eat, Nanami's tummy gave off a low, hungry growl which caused Nanami to first look down surprised, followed by a puff of blushing from embarresment. "Um... I-I guess the library would be fine....~" she voiced out, still bead-red in the face. She awkwardly got to her feet, still blushing and heartbeat racing, with her bag in her hand and her eyes starring down at the floor.

[fendrin]

Hideki

Watching the three girls enter, Hideki pauses for a moment, wondering what is going on.

Oh, right, she's dating that senior. Right before homeroom's not really the best place for privacy... especially because Shizune-san is in our class!

Then the lesson begins and Hideki devotes his full attention to it. He is by far not the not the smartest student in the class, but anything less than perfect grades are not tolerated, so he works nearly as hard as Shizune.

***

The bell rings, but Hideki doesn't get up immediately.

Why can't I make this work? I know I need to take the integral of... His stomach twinged lightly with hunger. Maybe I'll get it over lunch.

***

Looking around the cafeteria, he notes with dismay the total lack of empty tables. Sighing, he deftly makes his way through the crowd to the last almost-empty table.

Hinoiri-san... well, that's good. She's usually pretty focused on... whatever it is she is writing in her notebook. I wonder if she got the math today?

Putting his bag down at the seat furthest from her, he looks over at his classmate.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Hinoiri-san. All of the other tables are full. May I sit here?"

She's not eating? Should I offer to get her something? No, she probably already ate. Or maybe there's some reason she's not eating. I wouldn't want to offend her.

[CryWolfCorrupt]

Shaylin smiles as his stomach growls itself. He then remembered he had missed breakfast, and thinks of Kazuko. "I need to check on my brother quick, and then we'll go! Why don't you grab a seat somewhere in the cafe while I take care of his lunch?" As they make their way to the cafeteria, he spots his brother in line.

"Zukekun!" he yells to him and catches him before he gets his food. "Here's some cash. Get yourself something good, yeah?" He gives Kazuko a hug and then makes his way back out before noticing a young girl scribbling in her notebook alone at one of the tables. He sits down across from her and smiles.

"Konichiwa," he says loudly enough to be heard but not to yell. "I'm Shaylin, are you ok? You look lonely. If you're not getting lunch, you can come to the library with me and my friend Nami. We just look at comics and read books and stuff." He smiles again and offers his hand as he stands back up, then notices one of the more popular kids down at the other end. Hideki, right? He wasn't saying much, but was looking at the younger girl's notebook. "And you're more than welcome to join us, too. Hidekikun, right?" he extends his hand for a handshake.

[Hemnon]

Nanami

Nanami just nodded in silent agreement and headed for the cafe... although she couldn't really see why she should wait there, if they where to go to the library right after.... Oh well, at least she'd get some nice fresh air, which IS quite important after all, though she did pick a spot in the shade, since her fair skin didn't take too well to sunlight.

[Rysc]

Hinoiri

Hinoiri is jolted from her thoughts and quickly closes her notebook as not one, but two other students address her. Luckily the outgoing one--er, Shaylin's invitation had pretty much negated her need to answer the first question. Her mind blanks. Gaaah...so much for being invisible...Stay calm, keep your mask on...I have to say something, what do I say?

"Um, I, uh..." Well, books are nice...is that the only reason I can come up with? I guess people are nice to be around, too...sometimes. Not really. No, be positive. Maybe. "That, um, sounds..." "Okay" is not the right word. "...nice. Sure, I can...go." She puts her book and pen back into her bag. "I, uh, don't really--I mean, I'm not buying a lunch, so it should be fine." Well, it is true. Though maybe it's kind of obvious that I don't actually have any at all...

She half-rises from the table, unsure whether to wait a little for some kind of confirmation or just go. Am I being rude by ignoring Hideki's question and just assuming that he'll go with Shaylin? Aaugh...why am I only good at figuring people out when they're not interacting with me? Oh wait, did he ask my name? Maybe it was implied...? "I'm Hinoiri, by the way."

At least I got in one coherent sentence. Ugh.

[Valik Sparks]

All

GRMM

As Nanami waits for Shaylin to finish with his invitations to Hinoiri and Hideki, she finds her stomach twisting and constricting angrily, begging for food. For the sweet, savory, taste of meat. Sitting down like this, with her lunchbox right in her hands, it's almost too much to bear. But suddenly her attention is caught by something else...

A group of red butterflies. Three of them. Like the ones she saw outside her window. They're beautiful. They dart about among the other students, but no one looks at them; no one even seems to notice them. Then, as they pass right overhead Nanami, one flits down and lands on her knuckle. It slowly graces its wings up and down, looking right at her, allowing her to bring it close and observe it if she wishes. In the distance, she can feel Aaron's staring burrowing hard into her. He still won't let up. Sitting at a table, ignoring his food, just staring at her. Her sign to him in class didn't seem to have any affect.

Within a few moments, the red butterfly pops off her hand and flies away, disappearing as suddenly as it had appeared.


Shizune and Misha enter the cafeteria, dressed as...cats. Complete with ears, paws, and whiskers. They are now holding flyers like Errie and Bo were, and are beginning to pass them out, starting with the most crowded tables. Misha's loud, bubbly voice reigns supreme even over the noise of the cafeteria as she passes out flyers and speaks some prescribed line.

"Please come to the Zodiac Club today and learn all about the Year of the Cat! You've heard all about the Butterfly, but don't you want to come find out if you might actually be a Cat? Meow!~" The person she's talking to says something, but it can't be heard over the noisy cafeteria; however, Misha's loud reply is easily heard. "Wahaha!~ But that's just it! Read the flyer, silly! And come to the club! There are more secrets than just the Butterfly that you don't know about!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Shaylin, Hideki, and Hinoiri cannot see the red butterflies.

[Hemnon]

Nanami

Those butterflies again... they where so pretty, but why are they here? Nanami didn't know, and honestly, she didn't much care. She was just happy to just see them. A strange fluttering filled her stomach for a second, overpowering her hunger. It was a strangely happy sensation with a touch of loss in it...

Then the butterfly on her knuckles flew away and vanished before she could do anything about it.... Urgh, Aaron was starring again...

Nanami decided to get to her feet and walk over to Aaron and perhaps get some answers. "Um... Hi Aaron.... uh... is there something you want? You keep starring at me..." She asked him shyly, her bag in both hands and her eyes looking straight at Aaron.

Rolls-N-Stuff

Spoiler

Show

I Understand (Per)
(2d6+2)[5]

and add any other bonuses i might get, cuz im not sure if Empath or No Fool will help with this, since Nanami is trying to get a better understanding of Aaron and his emotional state.

[Valik Sparks]

Nanami

As Nanami approached Aaron...he visibly flinched. But he kept staring at her. He didn't move, didn't blink, and didn't speak as she approached him. But when she stopped right up in front of him, a sweet smile on her face as she looked down at him...he shuddered. Just a little. A tremble in his skin. He stared up at her from his position, seated at his table, food untouched.

She spoke. But he didn't answer. He just..kept..staring.

Aaron was an extremely difficult person to read, even for someone as empathic as Nanami. But what she was feeling from Aaron...it seemed that he was...afraid. Even though he tried to mask it with a blank, empty face...there was a touch of fear lingering somewhere in his eyes.


But of what?

[Hemnon]

Nanami

Nanami pouted a little. It was a bit rude of Aaron not to answer her when she asked him something and on top of that, she was getting a bit annoyed with all the starring all the time, so with a huff of air she turned around and headed back to where Shaylin would meet up with her so they could go eat at the library.

[CryWolfCorrupt]

Shaylin

Shaylin smiles and offers his hand to Hinoiri and turns to Hideki. "We'll be in the back room of the library, where the studying usually goes on. We've got about 40 minutes left of lunch so feel free to stop by, yeah?"~ He and Hinoiri return to Nanami, who is clearly in hunger pain. He helps her to her feet and then picks up her lunch and books. He offers the same service to Hinoiri as they head back up the steps towards the library.

When they arrive, Shaylin sits in the chair facing the door so he can see who comes in. He opens and returns Nanami's lunch box and a sweet scent floats out of it. He smiles at the smell. "Namichan, what did you bring today?" he pulls out a handful of comics and other books, including his favorites, Full Metal Alchemist and Attack on Titan. "How is your day going, Hinoiri? How come you were sitting all alone?"

[fendrin]

Hideki

"And you're more than welcome to join us, too. Hidekikun, right?" he extends his hand for a handshake.

What? Join them...? But why would they want...? Is that a genuine offer or just because it would be rude not to invite me? He seems genuine... I don't know... I never know what to say...

Hideki stands up and shakes the senior's hand.

"Ah, yes, senpai. I am... that is my name. I was going to do my calculus homework but... I can do it in the library. It'll be quieter there."

Following the senior out of the cafeteria, he sees his classmates enter. He picks up his pace a little.

I know what I am and nothing will ever change that. Why bother.

[Hemnon]

Nanami

Without one moment of hesitation, Nanami begins to eat like her life was on the line. it would appear that lunch was for herself only. Without even pausing her eating frenzy, she reaches down into her back and fish out a much smaller lunchbox, about the size of a regular one, and handed it over to Shaylin.

Inside, it was filled with loads of healthy, but very tasty, stuff like: Octopus sausages mixed with bamboo sprouts and cooked shrimps, boiled carrots in the shape of small hearts and not to forget, an assortment of meat and plenty of rice.

[Rysc]

Hinoiri

As she follows Shaylin out of the cafeteria, Hinoiri notices--or rather hears--the Zodiac Club's attempt to get more members. Misha's probably busy talking to whichever poor soul she last handed a flier too...maybe I can get one from Shizune. She heads in their direction for a moment and accepts a flier from Shizune, and, hoping that Misha won't notice her, hurriedly heads back out to the library.

At least this will give me something to talk about, if needed.

Hinoiri enters the library, and the presence of all those wonderful books makes her feel slightly calmer. Putting the flier aside for now, she sits the farthest she can from the other three without the fact being overly obvious, and then hesitates over her school bag. Writing around others? Well, I could just do homework. That way if anyone asks anything...it'll all be fine. She pulls out her school stuff and--

"How is your day going, Hinoiri? How come you were sitting all alone?"

If she had been eating, Hinoiri was sure she should would have choked. Argh, too much questions...He was just trying to be friendly, right? Come on, respond. "Going well, I guess...though the math we covered today is sort of a pain...and I like it to be quiet...when I'm doing homework...so..." She trails off.

Did that even answer his second question? It sort of sounds like I want them to be quiet, though. It would be rude to all-out tell them that I usually prefer being by myself.

"So I usually sit alone. Um, but thanks for inviting me. It's...a nice change, I suppose." The "nice" part is debatable.

She nervously crumples the corner of a page of her math notebook, trying to ignore the--what was that word?--ambrosial smells wafting over from Nanami's lunchbox.

[CryWolfCorrupt]

Shaylin graciously accepts Nanami's food, but upon seeing Hinoiri's face from a few seats down at the table, he wafts at the food, hoping to get rid of some of the smell. As Nami ate her food, he pulled out some chopsticks and slowly went to work on his. He turns to Hideki.

"I'm not calc-wiz, but I could try my hand at helping, if you'd like, hah.~" and a bite of food as he looks down at his books. He gently pushes them aside as he tries to see the calc homework. "Ritsuosan doesn't assign us a whole lot of homework anymore... I get kind of bored." Looks down to Hinoiri, and whispers "The same goes for you. If you want help, I'm happy to try my hand at it." a smile, another bite of food, and then back to quietly talking to Hideki and Nami.

"Namichan, slow down. You'll choke, hah,~" but when Nami looks at him, he raises his hands defensively, looking down and away in acceptance. This was nice. He hadn't really interacted with anyone from his own class this year, but it was nice to see others like him able to sit down in a group. He hated that others might feel as alone as him. It was one of the things that drew him to Nanami when he met her after her surgery. And now Hideki, who all of the girls liked to talk about, who seemed almost as insecure as she did.

"So, Hidekikun, I know your family's Kendo dojo is very famous. Do you participate?" He doesn't really know how to break the ice, since he knows nothing about him other than his family's name in the city. "I wanted to learn Kendo when I was younger, but I wasn't as fast as the other kids and I wound up giving up pretty early."

[Hemnon]

Nanami

Being already halfway through her lunch, Nanami finally realized Hinoiri's glances at her lunch. "Want the rest?" she timidly asked as she handed her lunchbox over the table towards Hinoiri, showing a sweet smile and an honest expression.

[Valik Sparks]

GRMM

Hinoiri

Hinoiri's plan turns out to work out rather well, as Misha is distracted speaking to a student about the flyers, while Shizune simply gazes sternly at people with a look that is more than enough to convince them it is a very good idea to at least take a flyer and pretend to be reading it until she's gone. Hinoiri is able to retrieve a flyer from Shizune in silence, with essentially no social interaction, just a curt nod and a quick smile from the Student Council President. What a relief. As she heads off to the library, a quick scan of the flyer is all she needs to take in its full contents.

What About The Cat!?!

You've heard all about the Butterfly, and the ancient writings found beneath the Chojiin temple! But here's a sneak peak about what you don't know..!

What they're not saying on the News broadcasts, is that the Butterfly wasn't the only thing mentioned in the writings! The ancient word for The Cat was definitely found and translated! There is very little context, so most are assuming it's nothing new, since we all know the Cat drowned in the end... OR DO WE?? If we missed a new Zodiac animal entirely, couldn't we have missed something about the Cat's epic return to the land of the living?! What if there are not 12, not 13, but 14 Zodiac animals! What if the Cat has been alive and well, and with us this whole time???

Come learn more at the Zodiac Club today! You don't have to join, just come to the clubroom and enjoy our panel! We've even done our own calculations for a calender that includes both the Year of the Butterfly and the Year of the Cat! Find out if you've secretly been a Cat all along!

Meeeeow~!

All

The library is quiet and relaxed as the four students talk among themselves. There's a distant whirring sound coming from a printer, as a tall boy with gray-blonde hair and a very calm look about him seems to be printing a large amount of papers. --Oh, it's Yuki, from the Student Council, and Shaylin's class. He's printing more of those flyers, it looks like. Usually the Student Council doesn't get involved in other club's activities, especially since they often are kept busy by their own work... Why was the Zodiac Club getting special treatment? Weird.

[fendrin]

Hideki

Do I participate? Like I have a choice.

"Yes, I have trained there my entire life. My grandfather is the grandmaster of our style, and my father is the head teacher, though we do not have many students. In the future I will inherit the dojo."

... and so I must be ready, and to be ready I must be diligent and so on. Why did I use those words? I guess I'm just so used to hearing them.

[Valik Sparks]

All

It is at that moment that two figures come briskly walking into the library...

"Yuki-kun! We need more flyers! Bo-kun ran out and he's very sad!"

Errie's voice chimes a little too loudly for being in a library as she skips happily through the entryway, Bo shuffling quickly after her. He blinks once, looking very blank and...not particularly sad. Yuki looks up at them and just smiles, taking a stack of recently-printed flyers and knocking them against a desk to straighten them out.

"Well, we can't have that, can we. Here, there should be--"

"OHMYGOD!"

Yuki's mouth is left part-way open as Errie's shout interrupts him. She is pointing dramatically right at...Hinoiri.

"Nakano-san! This is where you've been hiding! Quick, Bo-kun! Don't let her escape!"

Bo moves at about the pace of a crippled sprinter as his lanky form slides up behind Hinoiri, and plants his hands limply on her shoulders. "No escape." He said, rather dry and noncommittally.

Errie darts over in a flash, coming up right beside Hinoiri and slamming her hands down on the table. "HI. Did you know you're a Cat??" She beams, looking way too excited. "Thanks to the Student Council, we got our hands on everybody's personal information! Err, I mean not everything, just birthdays! We ran our own calculations cause we just had to see! Turns out there are very few Cats in our school -but you're one of them! Isn't that great?? My birthday was off by one day, so I'm still stuck as a Rabbit! It's so sad! So you better appreciate your birthday Hinoir--uh, Nakano-san!" She finishes her jumbled stream of exclamations by nodding rather exuberantly.

Errie gives quick glances to everyone else at the table, and then pulls out the nearest chair and sits down with them, ending up in the space between Hideki and Hinoiri. She turns to Hideki, smiling a wide, toothy smile. "Hi Hideki-kun! --err..can I call you that? I always forget your family name... Anyways! You're a Dragon! Are you surprised I know that? It's because I'm in the Zodiac Club and it's my business to know these things! Mhm, mhm! Oh and guess what! The Dragon was also mentioned in the ancient text found under the Chojiin temple! It's true! I believe the translation was talking about the Dragon's rainstorm it brought. Not very interesting...but maybe they'll find more! Wouldn't that be cool? And if they find more we'll be the first to know it! Guarantee! So you should obviously join the Zodiac Club!"

Errie looks very pleased with her rather...circular logic, and she folds her hands on the table, jutting out her chin and...trying to look cool and professional? Something like that. Meanwhile, Bo is still standing behind Hinoiri, with his hands like a pair of dead fish flopped on her shoulders. He's staring off into space, and doesn't seem to realize how odd his current position is, and that it might be uncomfortable for Hinoiri.