The Key Keeper

Chapter 5

Ren blearily opened her eyes and rubbed them, her vision blurry. Her head pounded, her slight hangover from the night before caused her to wince in pain. She slipped out of the bed and her feet touched the cold floor, causing her to shiver a bit. The rest of the apartment was mostly dark, with only slight rays of the morning sunrise shining on the floor from the two windows. Shuffling out of her room into the living room, half asleep, Ren looked at the couch, which was unfolded. It was empty. Where could Kai be??  she started to panic. She shook her head to clear her sleepiness, and looked around. Nothing. Ren felt her pulse begin to rise in anxiousness. Did  he just leave me here? Did he decide it's too much trouble to help me?  She ran over to the window and peered outside, hoping to spot him.

As she peered outside, her eyes widened in shock. Outside, the entire world looked like a scene from a dream. Strange green, blue, and pink lights flew and fizzled everywhere she looked. The regular people on the street were intermingled with people in strange clothes, much like the Key Keeper she had seen last night. On the street, an elderly gentleman pointed his finger at a small girl, no more than 5, who promptly starting floating in the air in accordance to where his finger pointed. The old man lifted her up to a nearby tall tree and she shouted in delight as she grabbed her kite that had gotten stuck in the tree. In another area, a man stood talking on the phone, and without looking down, created some sort of light in his hand. When the light faded, a pair of headphones, newly created, laid in his hand. Little creatures, the likes of which Ren had never seen before, prowled around the buildings. A small squirrel-like animal, with wings fluttered and sat on a lamp post, squeaking at people who passed underneath. Meanwhile, perfectly ordinary people walked among these strangers, acting like nothing was amiss.

Ren let out a muffled shriek, tripped on a step stool, and fell back in shock. Expecting to hit the ground, she frantically tried to stop herself, bracing for impact. Suddenly, she felt something catch her and lift her up under her arms. "Whoa, there, a bit unsteady, are we?" a voice said behind her. Ren glanced down and saw a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her. Without thinking, she sprang up, spun around, and slapped the person behind her. "Ouch! What was that for??" Kai exclaimed, rubbing his head. Ren gasped. "I forgot you were here! I'm sorry!" she frantically apologized. "It's fine, natural reaction if you're not used to someone else in the house." Kai chuckled, "Lucky for me, you have terrible aim, you got my head instead of my face." he said. Ren flushed, embarrassed. Remembering what was outside the window, she paled. She pointed at the window, and, her voice cracking a bit, asked "What is happening out there?"

Kai walked over to the window and peered out. He glanced back at her. "You weren't able to see this yesterday?" he asked. Ren shook her head. "There must be a time delay on what you're able to see when you transfer at first." Kai reasoned. "That's what our full world usually looks like." he told her. Ren nodded hesitantly, trying to control her breathing to calm herself. I need to get used to this if I'm going out there to find a way out. she told herself.

Ren sighed. "If I may ask, where were YOU this morning? Your bed was empty when I woke up." she asked Kai. Kai's face lit up in excitement. "Aha, well, I actually prepared a surprise this morning! I was in the kitchen cooking!" he announced. Ren stared at him curiously. "You can cook?" Kai puffed his chest proudly. "I used to cook every day for my roommate!" he proclaimed. Kai led her to the kitchen eagerly. A pile of golden waffles sat on a green plate on the counter, steam faintly rising off of them. "I wasn't sure if you liked waffles, but this was the only thing you really had the ingredients for and I didn't want to make pancakes. They're like waffles without pockets." Kai grimaced. Ren stifled a laugh. "I do, actually, like waffles!" she told him. She grabbed two and put them on a separate plate. She grabbed a container of syrup, pouring it on the side, and took a bite of the first waffle. Living up to Kai's boasts, it was delicious, the fluffiness of it practically melting in her mouth. "It's really good, thank you!" Ren informed Kai, who was intently watching her reaction. He beamed, standing up. "Glad you like it!"

"At any rate, we have to get started finding the Key Keeper, Akari. I have a general idea of people who may know where he is, so we have to hurry." Kai told Ren, wringing his hands. "I also have another surprise for you, but this is more for practicality." he said. Ren tilted her head. "What is it?" she asked, curiously. "I actually did leave the apartment this morning, I needed to grab something. Out there," Kai said, pointing at the door, "we have small vending shops, which look like regular walls and hills in your world. Our people wear slightly... different... outfits than your world does." Kai walked over to the coach, and lifted up a fairly large purple bag, which read Chizu's on the outside. "I bought a few outfits for myself, and a few for you. You'll need to blend in outside with the others, so I suggest you wear these." he said.

Kai pulled out a bundle of clothing from the bag and tossed it towards Ren, who caught it, and was immediately surprised by its heaviness. "Put this on." he instructed her. "I'll be waiting out here for you." Ren nodded, finishing the last bite of her breakfast, and padded across the wood floor into her room.

Attempting to figure out how to put on the foreign clothes, Ren pulled, pushed, and teased until all of the items fit perfectly. A few things were a bit big, but not by much, Kai had done a good job guessing her size. Ren brushed her hair, and finally, looked in the full mirror in the corner of her room. The brown top was a tank top, much like Kai's, but was styled at the top in the vague shape of a scarf with a hood. Intricate gold designs decorated the sides and the lining. Two belts overlapped each other on her hips, each providing a small bag for her to put items in. A pair of ripped, light brown shorts hugged her waist, with sheer black tights underneath. Surrounding her arms were two pairs of arm bands, which looked a bit like black medical tape. Ren stared at herself. It didn't even look like her. Overall, though, this isn't too bad. Ren reflected.

She opened the door of her room, and walked out into the living room. Kai was sitting at the piano, messing with the keys, and he looked up at her. A smirk grew across his face as he stood up and handed her a pair of brown combat boots. "You look like one of us now." he said proudly. "Ready to go?" Ren nodded, preparing herself for the journey ahead.