《Last Girl》Chapter 10
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It was dark and cold. That's how I knew it was a nightmare. Only in this place of torment, would I ever feel so scared.
I tried calling out with my own voice, but I was met with silence. I held no power here. Only that had all of the control.
""
Please. Someone get rid of the smoke. I can feel it in my throat. It's inside of me. Burning me with its nasty blight.
""
I could feel the smoke seeping its way inside the pores of my skin. It was trying to completely dominate me. Down to my very core.
""
If it's possible, I felt like my vision was being tainted by its essence. My sight was obscured. The one thing that could always see the truth was being taken away from me.
I'm not my own person. Not with that smoke here. .
Trying to escape the torment, I lunged forward. The barrier keeping me here was thick. It felt like black plastic. I couldn't pierce it; the barrier was perceptual. It pulled me back in.
No matter how much I clawed at it, I was no match. The futility of it made me hysterical. I started clawing at myself. I wanted to scratch my arms. I need to get his infection out of me.
As I tried to scratch, my arms were pulled away. Looking up in despair, I saw Haruto.
"What are you doing?" He asked desperately.
Looking around my surroundings, I realized I was no longer stuck in that nightmare. Instead, there I sat on Haruto's lap on the roof. Both my hands were being held up by him. There were scratches, but luckily, they weren't deep enough to draw blood.
"Why are you on the roof?" Haruto asked.
I wasn't quite sure of the answer myself. Why was I up here? Sleepwalking perhaps? But if that were the case, why here of all places? Everyone knows I fear heights.
"I... I took a nap... and I... I can't remember the rest." I answered confusedly.
For whatever reason, Haruto didn't press me any further. Even if he trusts me enough to tell the truth, he should still question the validity of the situation. Rather, he simply took off his leather jacket and draped it around my shaky shoulders. Sitting down beside me, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and huddled closer towards me. I didn't have to ask why he would do such a thing; I knew in the back of my mind that he was shouldering me from the height. And for that, I'm eternally grateful.
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"You haven't been yourself for a while."
So, he's noticed. I guess it wouldn't take a genius to tell the difference between myself and the previous host.
"In what way?" I asked. As far as I can tell, I've acted as closely as I could to the other Aiko. Surely there are no drastic differences between us?
"How should I put this? As of lately, you're more of your own person."
More of myself? Huh... I can't say I was expecting that.
"Up until argument with your father, you were always compliant. You never seemed like you were fully there. You always acted according to the expectations of others."
So, Aiko was never her own person, to begin with? That's kind of sad to hear. I guess that's why I've noticed inconsistent behavioural patterns in her memories. I was always puzzled by how someone so delicate could also be wild and playful around Kaoru. I assume now that the reason for doing so was so she could match that lively and overly emotional personality of his.
I don't know how Aiko did all that. I can't imagine living my life to only please others.
"And now you've been having these nightmares..."
I suppose now is as good as ever to open up about .
"I've started having these nightmares ever since I cut myself on that statue. But I'm not sure why it triggered these nightmares."
"Maybe you got cursed."
Was Haruto being comical? By the light of day, I never expected to see him try to crack a joke!
Lightly smacking Haruto on the arm, I jokingly ask "Is someone making fun of me?"
Haruto rolls his eyes and shakes his head satirically. I swear that I'm going to make him smile genuinely one day! If I'm lucky, maybe even laugh.
"If it's any consolation, I used to struggle with nightmares too."
I never knew that. I guess he did tend to keep everything bottled up, fearing it might make him appear inferior and incapable of his duty to me. Not much has changed since then. He rarely confines in me, about his own problems. But he does somewhat show emotion nowadays.
Not in the traditional sense of crying and laughing. But in his eyes. Those dark puddles convey endless emotions. I believe that underneath the surface, there's a fragile boy who wants nothing more than companionship.
I try my best to brighten his days in any way I can. But our friendship can never amount to the familial love he's always lacked. I'd climb a million mountains just to give him the love he's always craved.
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"I hope you don't think any less of yourself because of those nightmares," I add. "You're the strongest person I know. Something silly like nightmares is merely an obstacle in your path to greatness!" I proudly declared.
Haruto raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. I guess I came across as too strong, huh. Well, that's just how I am. I overcompensate my pessimism with conceited encouragement. What can I say, I just love playing the role of a mediator.
Nonchalantly, Haruto shook his head in contentment. "You are a special one."
There wasn't much time left for us to loiter about on the rooftop. It was almost dinnertime. I was dreading this particular occasion. We would be joined by Kaoru. How I wish my Father wasn't enthusiastic about us spending time together.
The dining table for the most part was silent. Considering my Father would be joining us, I didn't expect anything less. Non-verbal communication was a given. Despite all that, physical communication was rather abundant.
I made several attempts to try to focus on the plate before me. Slicing the turkey and stuffing my mouth with creamy potatoes to keep myself occupied...
But I just couldn't taste the food. Rather, I was put-off of it by a certain someone. Thank you, Kaoru.
The feeling of him caressing my leg with his foot from across the table was unsettling. It felt almost taunting. It was as if he was trying to test my boundaries and provoke me. That was something typical of the old Kaoru, but the intent of this new Kaoru was far more provocative in my eyes.
Looking up from my food in vexation, I was irritated further by seeing his smug expression. He didn't have to do much for me to understand his body language. Those eyes told no lies. They were filled with dark passion. Something dangerous that made me feel scared of him. Then, of course, there were the lips. Curled just enough to showcase his hubristic attitude. He knew I wouldn't call him out on his behaviour.
I gripped my knife and fork harder in response. I was sure that the sheer amount of pressure I was applying to it, would make it bend! Luckily enough I was brought back to reality by an unexpected announcement.
"This Friday I've organized a ball to celebrate myself and Aiko's engagement."
Hah? Say what now?
My father briefly peered up at Kaoru. "Is that so?"
"Yes. The party is planned to begin at nine o'clock."
I looked to Haruto on my left. He was too busy guzzling down the meat to make eye contact with me. Great, now I can't come up with an excuse to get out of going to this ball!
"You can expect to see Aiko there bright and early. I have other business to attend to."
Seriously? He's really going to miss out on his own daughter's engagement party. How irresponsible.
Unlike myself, Kaoru was unfazed by my father's blunt dismissal of attending. In fact, I doubt he even cared what his father-in-law's thoughts were, to begin with. He was most likely more concerned about plotting something else. The next thing I know, he'll probably try to bump up the wedding to Sunday.
Politely wiping his hands down with his napkin, Kaoru stood promptly from his chair. "Thank you for the meal, Otousan. If it's alright with you, I'd like to have a word alone with Aiko."
Father merely twirled his fork in the air, as if to give him his approval. Following Kaoru, we made our way into the foyer. I wasn't sure why we needed to be alone. For whatever reason he had, I knew it would not be good regardless.
Reaching into his pocket, Kaoru smiled as he pulled out a diamond necklace. Oh no, he's going to start gifting me expensive presents now, isn't he?
"I'd like it if you could wear this to the ball."
From how he phrased it, I knew this was more of an order than a question. Even if I tried to refuse him, Kaoru would make sure I had no opportunity to do so. He even leaned in to put the necklace on me.
I felt myself shiver, as I felt his hot breath on my neck. It was just like a dragon's flames. I could've sworn he sniffed my hair too. Just as I was about to retaliate, I felt him nibble on my ear cheekily.
"Ah!" I blurted.
Kaoru pulled away from my ear and stuck out his tongue out at me childishly.
"See! Don't you think it suits you?"
Is he not going to acknowledge what he just did?
"I have to go now, but I look forward to seeing you at the ball." Kaoru leaned in once more to kiss me on the cheek before leaving.
This boy!
"Are you alright, Miss?" Haruto asked from behind.
"I think I need to wash my face." I bitterly remarked.
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From the Final World
I have lived a long, long time. Longer than the universe knows; longer than any star has seen or traveling light records. My memories; that is all that is left that knows that length, and that which was seen within it. Then again, that is all that ever did. When I am gone, it will be forgotten, a truth and a history lost forever no matter who or what tries to find it. I think that is why I write this now. A record, or a lament, of the most significant being of all time. It is a prideful exaltation of endless triumph, or the dread condemnation of infinite evil. I don’t know which; I shall leave it for others to judge. I could explain further, of course. I could list the sins that have been committed, the deeds that have been done. Yet for now, I believe this is enough. Her story will speak for itself. About the good, and evil, in the heart of a single girl burdened with more than her fair share. And how she reacted to it. So, I will tell her story. Of gods and devils, mortals and monsters, of legends long forgotten and civilizations long turned to dust. And in the end, I hope she knows herself, whether it is salvation, or destruction, she should receive.
8 175The Magical Girl Substituting me is...my Uncle?!
Amidst all of the issues that any teenager girl usually has, Aika Tsunaboshi also secretly an Magical Girl. Much likes the ones you would typically see in anime and manga. Except these ones also hunts demons on the side. One day, while fighting against her nemesis, she is forced to make a decision and temporarily transfer her powers to someone in her family. Which according to her partner (AKA Sacred Beast) Nyamo, the Nekomata, was intended to go to her older brother, Akira Tsunaboshi. Who is always mistaken for a girl and barely able to form a full sentence towards strangers, which leaves him prone to many misunderstandings. Akira is already in his third year and everyone in the school still recognizes him as one of the most popular "girls" on the school. Making him quite unapproachable for most students, who thinks Akira lives in a higher place than the rest, rendering him to be quite a loner. However, during the transferring process, Aika got cold feet at the last second and her partner, alongside her magical powers were sent somewhere else. About to be stricken down by her assailant, Aika is saved by a strange fat man. Her savior... just happened to be one of her teachers, Shinjirou Tsunaboshi... and her uncle, who just happened to be passed out drunk in the gym storage nearby. Which she so utterly despises due to his being drunk more often than not, near perpetual state of hangover, his carefree nature, unrensponsible and perverted tendencies that earned him the title "Ero-Sensei" which caused many antics and headaches for Aika to deal with most of her life. The shock of seeing her uncle wearing her uniform, a frilly dress, alongside a set of cat ears, tail and everything made her pass out on the spot. By the time Aika woke up, not only he was casually partying with both her partner Nekomata and the demon, became best friends with them, as well but also convinced the two to form a strange alliance between himself, her demonic nemesis and through Nyamo, sent his unprecedented proposal to Arcadia, the group behind managing and recruiting all Magical Girls. Would Arcadia even consider Shinji's suggestion and his abnormal circumstance? Will Aika be able to handle yet another stress placed on top of her social life? Will Aika's powers ever return to her? Even if it does, will she be able to manage to put up with her troublesome uncle for the sake of justice until then? Only one way to find out!
8 126Rooms of the Desolate
Rooms of the Desolate is a collection of short stories designed to guide the reader through the many rooms and mysteries of the bleak and greyscale labyrinth of the Desolate. The first entry, "The Forever Tower" follows an unnamed wanderer climbing an endless, colourless tower; the only world they have ever known. As they slowly ascend alongside the masses, they consider the nature of their world and look to the corridors as temptation beckons. The second entry, "Production Line", follows an engineer in a boundless factory, who encounters a product that does not wish to bow to the overseers and makes them question their belief in the truth and duties they were made to believe. Content guidelines: Current entries do not include explicit profanity, but future entries may do so, hence the presence of that tag. Some entries do include gore and violence, though not currently to particularly extreme degrees. The Desolate is exactly that: a desolate world; as such, it is bleak, downtrodden, and may deal with mental struggles. Cover art credit: Adam Borkowski on Pexels.
8 133Midnight Assassin [Hunter X Hunter] (Killua X reader) COMPLETED ✔
(Y/N) (L/N) the infamous assassin, who can murder the whole Zoldyck members with just a few daggers and her bare hands. No one know her real identity, as she remains a mystery. Then one day, she overheard some guys talking about the 'Hunter Exam.' Giving it a shot, she makes her very first friends; Gon, Kurapika, Killua and Leorio. But what will happen when they realize that she is an assassin? Or even worse, her identity that she never wanted to reveal out? Highest ranking #1 Kurapika DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HUNTER X HUNTER IT BELONGS TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS! IMAGES AND VIDEOS USED IN THIS BOOK IS NOT MINE EITHER! THE PLOT LINE IS MINE SO PLEASE DO NOT PLAGIARISE!!! Book cover by me! Credits to me!
8 190My husband, My bully (Complete✔️)
Salam u alaikum readers! I wanted to inform you guys that I've started making edits to this story. Some chapters are the same while some are completely different. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! ________________________Anisa Malik. The famous confident hijabi in class 11-A. She's headstrong and beautiful but could be a short tempered kid when provoked. She's got her hands full and the handsome bully in her class just makes it worse for her. Little did she know, the annoying boy who never ceases to piss her off might be a bit more important part of her life than she takes him for. He might just be the one chosen to be her other half. Ali Hassan. That name sent girls shrieking and blushing all over. That was no wonder. His charms and looks were enough to send any girl's heart racing. And he knows it until he meets the only girl who plays hard to get. Her clear cut comebacks, her sassy attitude just sparks something inside him. Despite this feeling, he takes every chance to humiliate her. The only guy bold enough to step up to the confident Anisa Malik, he just seems to be the perfect bully for a girl like her. What happens when Anisa and Ali are forced to get married? The two can't even get along for two minutes in a classroom let alone spend the rest of their lives together. She's got her problems and this marriage is another one added to her list until the bully starts showing a side she has never seen. One thing is for sure. It's one shell of a bumpy ride.
8 114The Next Madara (not being written)
The long awaited return is here the story has returned and is hopefully everything people have hoped for.For people who don't know which is probably most of you this was once a story with nearly two hundred thousand reads I deleted those chapters because they sucked and now I'm writing it again but better
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