Kowareta Sekai: The Shadows of Kage (KSSoK)

The Beginning, Part 3

The time of the walk home was doubled because the weight of the jacket's words... and also the weight of the jacket on my shoulders. "Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" I asked the jacket, who replied, "Oh, I did miss some details." I stare at the jacket expectantly. "I forgot to put the 'apostrophe s' after 'the Master Shadow'..." The jacket continues. I then put on a very confused face.. "So, the Master Shadow's... What?" I ask. "I was made by the Master Shadow's daughter." Just then, my mind goes blank. "So... Like, a princess?" I ask the jacket, who then does a motion similar to nodding his head. "Oh, I hope I don't have to worry about saving the princess..." I say, shivering at the thought of having to give up my peaceful life. "It hasn't come to that, thankfully." The jacket says, and gives off an Aura of relief.

I also let out a sigh of relief, then started jogging to get home faster. "C'mon, Hiroko. Let's get home." I say, as I pass by her. Hiroko picks up her pace, then I start to slow down. I am beside Hiroko now. I glance over and see her ponytail bobbing side to side. "Hello... I guess we will be siblings from here on out..." I say, a little nervous. Hiroko gave me a quick glance before smiling. "Yeah, I'll be looking forward to it!" Hiroko slows down, then stops. "We're here."

I stop jogging, almost passing Hiroko. "How are we already here!?" I ask, confused. I walk up to the door, reach into my pocket, and pull out my key. I extend my hand out to the door to insert the key into the lock, when the door suddenly opens. I step back, surprised, and see my mom behind the door. "Oh! Kage! Hiroko! Dinner's ready, so eat up, then go to sleep!" Mom says, extremely enthusiastic. I step back, then motion for Hiroko to go inside. Hiroko steps inside, then stops. "What's wrong?" I ask, concerned. Hiroko looks at me. "It just occurred to me... where will I sleep?" Hiroko says, a thoughtful look on her face.

I walk into the house, and sit down on the closest chair. "Right... I guess that is up to mom..." I say. I look at the couch, then say "I think it would be rude to make you sleep on the couch." I hear the door close, then doorsteps. Hiroko walks over, then sits on the couch. "I wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch." Hiroko says, running her hand over the surface of the couch. Just then, I hear the sound of something hit the floor. I turn around and see my mom, frozen in thought. "Are you okay, mom?" I ask in concern. Mom looks at me, anger visible in her eyes. "Kage! Why don't you let her use your room?" She said, trying to hold in her anger.  I look at her, wondering why she was so mad. "Alright. Hiroko, you can sleep in my room." I told Hiroko, yawning. I then continued. "I can sleep on the couch." Hiroko looks at me sideways. She then says, "I don't mind sleeping in the same room as you." 

I give her a surprised glance. "Are you sure?" I ask her. Hiroko turns to me, and gives me a shy smile. "Yeah, if you are okay with it..." She says, shyness also in her voice. Mom agrees, then reminds us to eat. 

After dinner, Hiroko showers. I shower after she is done. I get out of the shower, and as I was about to go into my room, I feel a little tug on the back of my shirt. Chills go down my spine as I turn around to see what tugged at my shirt. My heart is beating fast, a sign that I am scared to find out what is behind me. But when I turn around, I see Hiroko standing there, with only towels on. It takes me a moment, when I realize that she doesn't have any clothes. I give her a reassuring smile as I say, "Don't worry, you can wear my clothes for a little while." I then push her into the room, then close the door. I am still standing in the hallway, waiting for her to finish changing. A few moments later, I hear the door open. Hiroko is standing there, wearing clothes a bit too big for her.

She's kinda cute. Just then, I turned around. "Go ahead and sleep in the room. I'll use the couch." I told her, walking towards the living room. Just then, I feel about tug on my shirt. I turn around, wondering what else Hiroko wanted me to do. Just then, there is a ringing pain on the side of my face. Once I recover, I see my mom standing there instead of Hiroko.  "Wha-" I begin, before getting cut off. "You are going to sleep in your room, whether you like it, or not, young man!" Mom scolds, under her breath. I open my mouth to say something, but stop myself. "Yes ma'am," I say, then walk towards my room.

I walk into the room and see Hiroko already in bed. I guess mom doesn't want me to sleep on the floor, either. I crawl into bed, moving my body under the blanket. Suddenly, I realized that it wouldn't be fair, because of my sleeping habits. I get from under the blanket, and give it to Hiroko. I lay on top of the blanket, trying to be careful not to wake Hiroko up. At that moment, I hear the rustling sound of the blanket. I turn, and see Hiroko, wide awake. "What's wrong?" I ask, rubbing my eyes. I look at Hiroko again, but her eyes are closed. Oh, she's asleep... 

I get ready to go to sleep when I hear Hiroko say something. "Hrrng... Kage... Are you still awake?" She asks, though almost impossible to understand. "Yes," I tell her, as I reposition myself into a comfortable position. "Okay..." Hiroko says, sounding more sleepier than she was before. A couple of seconds passed, and I hear the sounds of sleep. I start nodding off, when I hear more rustling. What now? I turn and hear a deep whisper. "Something not right..." It is the voice of the jacket. 

"What is it? What's wrong?" I ask the jacket. The jacket hovers above me, and whispers again, trying to be careful not to wake Hiroko up. "Something is happening at the place of my origin..."