Post by Zach on Mar 22, 2011 17:35:18 GMT -5
Well... this is my first real attempt at fanfiction (that horrible TWEWY thing I wrote a few years ago nonwithstanding). It's a TWEWY fanfic, taking place approximately one week before Neku's first game. I opted to use original characters. XP (Basically, I read so much horrible fanfiction on T.V. tropes, I wanted to see if I could do anything better.)
The last thing I remember is standing on the edge of a very tall building. I was turned away from the street below, face raised to the warm summer sun. I don’t remember what was going through my head. I don’t even remember if anyone was up there with me… I only remember cold. Cold outside… cold inside… I felt like my heart was frozen solid, in spite of the heat. I had my iPod in my ears; Chopin’s ‘Marche Funèbre.’ I guess I felt like a bit of irony, Death March for the dead man. I think I tried to talk myself out of it. I tried to picture the faces of everyone who would miss me. Honestly… I don’t think I could draw up a single face. I spread my arms wide and closed my eyes, taking a step back. Half of my foot was now hanging off the ledge, and I could feel my balance beginning to slip. There was no question of turning back. With a quiet sigh of resignation, I fell. Ironically, I don’t think I had ever felt more alive. The wind rushed past me, and I became one with it. I was a Sylph, riding the breeze, rejoicing with the spirits of the air. I opened my eyes and saw myself in exquisite detail, reflected in the tinted glass. Although I could not see it, I knew the ground was quickly rushing to meet me. I could feel Death standing there, arms outstretched. Closing my eyes, I smiled and waited for him to catch me.
It seems Death, however, had other plans. Things went dark for quite a while. My body was paralyzed, my mind numb… I have no idea how long I was there, prostrate on the ground. In a half-dream state I vaguely recall sounds of activity around me, strange and meaningless sounds that I could make no sense of. In time, however, the sounds began to grow clearer. I could make out footsteps… and voices. Meaningless words, going on and on about things that my addled brain could make no sense of. “Hey, wanna head to 104?” “Dammit, this is a new shirt!” “-so I told him, if you don’t get out…“ “Mommy I want ramen!” My head began to pound. The noise was grating. I clenched my teeth, trying to shut everything out, but it was no use. There was simply too much sound. It surrounded me like a great wave, drowning out all attempts at rational thought. Finally, I cracked. Enough was enough. The pain in my head shot through my entire body, but I was tired of oblivion. Mustering together all the willpower I could, I opened my eyes. Wincing in pain from the influx of light, I willed my blurry vision to clear. I saw shoes. Lots and lots of shoes, of all descriptions. The walked past me, all around me, some even appeared to be stepping over my head and onto me, but I could feel neither pressure nor pain, save from the ache in my head. Blinking, I noticed that I was lying on concrete, and the white markings underneath me could only mean that I was now, somehow, in the Scramble Crossing. Discovering that life had reentered my limbs, I pulled myself up into a sitting position, grunting with exertion. I remained there for several minutes, trying to make sense of what had happened. As far as I remembered, I had jumped to my death at Pork City… and that was quite a ways away from here. Also… how was I alive? There was no chance that I could have survived a fall like that unscathed… my breath caught in my throat. I stood up fully, oblivious to the pain that shot through my body. I began to run. “Help!” I called out to no one in particular, panic rising in my chest. “Somebody! Anyone! Help! Help! Help!” I called frantically, screaming in the faces of several bystanders. Nobody so much as flinched. I reached out to grab a passerby, a young woman dressed in jeans and a floral T-shirt, Sheep Heavenly, most likely. My hand passed right through her shoulder. I could see it inside her, blurred like heat haze. With a gasp, I stumbled back. This could not be happening… I had died to escape this place… why had I come back? I rushed back to where I first awoke, desperate to find some sort of clue to my current situation. I found it in the form of a small crunch beneath my shoe. Looking down, I spotted the offending object: a small black pin. I stooped down and picked it up, examining it. The pin had a polished black background, and was emblazoned with the strangest skull I had ever seen. Its basic form seemed to be that of a cross, the top of which branched off in a pair of bat-like wings. The bottom flared out into the pointy ‘teeth’ of the skull, and a diamond in the center formed the nose. “Weird…” I said, placing it the pocket of my jeans. While I was at it, I might as well take stock of myself. My clothing was just as I’d remembered it. Blue-gray jeans, black Converse high-tops, and a simple black tank top a la Tigre Punks. My messy black hair, generally unkempt, covered my eyes. I brushed it to one side, as per my usual style. Reaching into my pockets, I took inventory of my possessions. I found my iPod and cellphone, both of which I was never without. Reaching into my back pocket, I found my prized possession, a small black pocket knife that my grandfather had given me, along with something… unexpected. It was another pin, roughly the same size as the other, but pure white, with a single bright blue line at a slant across it. I had never seen it before in my life, and couldn’t fathom what it could be for… but in the exception of that small addition, all my possessions were in order. Just for the hell of it, I decided to go through a little psychiatric evaluation. I started with my name; Yasukawa Masamune. Masa for short. My age? 19, though I’d be 20 in a few months. Heaving a sigh, I began to go through my most important memories. My home, an apartment on the outskirts of Shibuya, my parents, both deceased in a car wreck a few years back, my days in school… everything was in order. The only things I couldn’t remember were how I had gotten to the Scramble, and most troubling, why it was I had jumped off Pork City in the first place. My musings were soon interrupted, however, by my phone vibrating in my pocket. Curious, I pulled it out. I hadn’t though to check it since I’d woken up. Flipping it open, I stared incredulously at the screen.
‘Reach Dogenzaka.
You have 60 minutes.
Fail, and face erasure.
-The Reapers’
No sooner had I finished reading the message that a searing pain shot through my hand. I gasped, dropping the phone in the process. There, in the center of my palm, was what appeared to be a timer. It was ticking down from 60:00. My heart began to pound as I stooped down to pick up my phone. I had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was… it had certainly gotten serious, and I had no desire to find out what the word ‘erasure’ entailed. I had wasted enough time just standing around. There would be time enough to figure out what was going on later. For now, I would head to Dogenzaka, find whoever was in charge, and beat the living hell out of them until they let me go. Whatever this was, it wasn’t funny.
The last thing I remember is standing on the edge of a very tall building. I was turned away from the street below, face raised to the warm summer sun. I don’t remember what was going through my head. I don’t even remember if anyone was up there with me… I only remember cold. Cold outside… cold inside… I felt like my heart was frozen solid, in spite of the heat. I had my iPod in my ears; Chopin’s ‘Marche Funèbre.’ I guess I felt like a bit of irony, Death March for the dead man. I think I tried to talk myself out of it. I tried to picture the faces of everyone who would miss me. Honestly… I don’t think I could draw up a single face. I spread my arms wide and closed my eyes, taking a step back. Half of my foot was now hanging off the ledge, and I could feel my balance beginning to slip. There was no question of turning back. With a quiet sigh of resignation, I fell. Ironically, I don’t think I had ever felt more alive. The wind rushed past me, and I became one with it. I was a Sylph, riding the breeze, rejoicing with the spirits of the air. I opened my eyes and saw myself in exquisite detail, reflected in the tinted glass. Although I could not see it, I knew the ground was quickly rushing to meet me. I could feel Death standing there, arms outstretched. Closing my eyes, I smiled and waited for him to catch me.
It seems Death, however, had other plans. Things went dark for quite a while. My body was paralyzed, my mind numb… I have no idea how long I was there, prostrate on the ground. In a half-dream state I vaguely recall sounds of activity around me, strange and meaningless sounds that I could make no sense of. In time, however, the sounds began to grow clearer. I could make out footsteps… and voices. Meaningless words, going on and on about things that my addled brain could make no sense of. “Hey, wanna head to 104?” “Dammit, this is a new shirt!” “-so I told him, if you don’t get out…“ “Mommy I want ramen!” My head began to pound. The noise was grating. I clenched my teeth, trying to shut everything out, but it was no use. There was simply too much sound. It surrounded me like a great wave, drowning out all attempts at rational thought. Finally, I cracked. Enough was enough. The pain in my head shot through my entire body, but I was tired of oblivion. Mustering together all the willpower I could, I opened my eyes. Wincing in pain from the influx of light, I willed my blurry vision to clear. I saw shoes. Lots and lots of shoes, of all descriptions. The walked past me, all around me, some even appeared to be stepping over my head and onto me, but I could feel neither pressure nor pain, save from the ache in my head. Blinking, I noticed that I was lying on concrete, and the white markings underneath me could only mean that I was now, somehow, in the Scramble Crossing. Discovering that life had reentered my limbs, I pulled myself up into a sitting position, grunting with exertion. I remained there for several minutes, trying to make sense of what had happened. As far as I remembered, I had jumped to my death at Pork City… and that was quite a ways away from here. Also… how was I alive? There was no chance that I could have survived a fall like that unscathed… my breath caught in my throat. I stood up fully, oblivious to the pain that shot through my body. I began to run. “Help!” I called out to no one in particular, panic rising in my chest. “Somebody! Anyone! Help! Help! Help!” I called frantically, screaming in the faces of several bystanders. Nobody so much as flinched. I reached out to grab a passerby, a young woman dressed in jeans and a floral T-shirt, Sheep Heavenly, most likely. My hand passed right through her shoulder. I could see it inside her, blurred like heat haze. With a gasp, I stumbled back. This could not be happening… I had died to escape this place… why had I come back? I rushed back to where I first awoke, desperate to find some sort of clue to my current situation. I found it in the form of a small crunch beneath my shoe. Looking down, I spotted the offending object: a small black pin. I stooped down and picked it up, examining it. The pin had a polished black background, and was emblazoned with the strangest skull I had ever seen. Its basic form seemed to be that of a cross, the top of which branched off in a pair of bat-like wings. The bottom flared out into the pointy ‘teeth’ of the skull, and a diamond in the center formed the nose. “Weird…” I said, placing it the pocket of my jeans. While I was at it, I might as well take stock of myself. My clothing was just as I’d remembered it. Blue-gray jeans, black Converse high-tops, and a simple black tank top a la Tigre Punks. My messy black hair, generally unkempt, covered my eyes. I brushed it to one side, as per my usual style. Reaching into my pockets, I took inventory of my possessions. I found my iPod and cellphone, both of which I was never without. Reaching into my back pocket, I found my prized possession, a small black pocket knife that my grandfather had given me, along with something… unexpected. It was another pin, roughly the same size as the other, but pure white, with a single bright blue line at a slant across it. I had never seen it before in my life, and couldn’t fathom what it could be for… but in the exception of that small addition, all my possessions were in order. Just for the hell of it, I decided to go through a little psychiatric evaluation. I started with my name; Yasukawa Masamune. Masa for short. My age? 19, though I’d be 20 in a few months. Heaving a sigh, I began to go through my most important memories. My home, an apartment on the outskirts of Shibuya, my parents, both deceased in a car wreck a few years back, my days in school… everything was in order. The only things I couldn’t remember were how I had gotten to the Scramble, and most troubling, why it was I had jumped off Pork City in the first place. My musings were soon interrupted, however, by my phone vibrating in my pocket. Curious, I pulled it out. I hadn’t though to check it since I’d woken up. Flipping it open, I stared incredulously at the screen.
‘Reach Dogenzaka.
You have 60 minutes.
Fail, and face erasure.
-The Reapers’
No sooner had I finished reading the message that a searing pain shot through my hand. I gasped, dropping the phone in the process. There, in the center of my palm, was what appeared to be a timer. It was ticking down from 60:00. My heart began to pound as I stooped down to pick up my phone. I had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was… it had certainly gotten serious, and I had no desire to find out what the word ‘erasure’ entailed. I had wasted enough time just standing around. There would be time enough to figure out what was going on later. For now, I would head to Dogenzaka, find whoever was in charge, and beat the living hell out of them until they let me go. Whatever this was, it wasn’t funny.
