Collaboration of Missing Numbers

Stage 2: Reiteration


Chapter Two
Another World

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.



Sometimes accidents happen.

Unfortunate coincidences pile up, and end up changing into a series of unfortunate events, one followed by another, soon to become a giant trainwreck, crashing into your life, changing each and every aspect you could ever imagine, mercilessly forcing you to change as well, adapt, get used to the new state of things. Why would they do that? Reasons vary. Accidents. Relationships. Ordinary, humanly greed. Sin. Hatred. Or - just like mentioned above - unfortunate coincidences. People talk about the 'butterfly effect'. Something about a mere butterfly causing a hurricane, only by flapping it's wings on the other side of the world. It could be something else, you don't really care. Anyways, it is true, that a slightest change can totally ruin someone's life. Or make it better. Depends on the case.

Sometimes you get into trouble because of your own ignorance.

For instance, accepting a guy's offer to take a shelter in his apartment for the night. Being homeless isn't easy, and one tends to miss the old times after what seems to be an eternity spent on wandering from city to city. It just happened that he caught you in your weaker moment. You just couldn't refuse the prospect of sleeping under a normal roof, just this one time, when a storm rages on outside. It was silly, yeah, and dangerous too, but... Well, to be honest, that guy looked and acted too sincere, too genuinely selfless to have any bad thoughts about his - as it appeared at first - ridiculous offer. That's why you accepted.

Sometimes, you just get into deep shit for no particular reason.

Needless to say, this is one of these situations. For no apparent reason at all, you find yourself sitting at an almost laughably low table, set up with food that your eyes have never seen, even during the pre-accident days, with three fags, one excuse for a girl and one kiddo who happened to get a good look at you earlier, because of your lack of self-awareness. To be exact, lack of awareness about your lack of clothes. But that's in the past. He doesn't look like he cares, and to be honest, you couldn't care less either, so it'd be best to leave it alone. It's not like there's much to look at anyway. And damn, it just doesn't bother you.
Strangely, they all find the... things on the table apparently very tasty, and happily engage in consumption while you simply stare in perplexion, trying to figure out what's meant to be eaten and what's not. Which is a hella difficult thing.

Wait, how did you get here again?

Flashback time!

Except not. Long story short, those two idiots - Usami Renji and Marry Han - decided to go on a road trip... And you, being under their forced jurisdiction, had to comply. Next thing you know, a car rams through the barrage of nightly darkness, with you and two singing morons onboard, with old and crappy music bombarding all of it's listeners' ears like there was no tommorow. That is, until the road decides to turn into a forest path, and then suddenly disappear, leaving you to admire how majestatically terrifying does an easternese shrine look when it's quickly ascending towards you, or to be more precise, when you are falling towards it. Fortunately the initial impact was shocking enough to make you pass out almost immidiately. Thank god.

And so, because of the aforementioned rule of poor fiction that somehow found it's way into your monotone life, just after waking up from the shock, you found yourself sleeping wrapped tightly in fluffy eiderdowns, while a carefree, horned boy watches over your sleeping self. Yes, that's right. Horned. You're not sure if those things are real, bah - they LOOK pretty real to you - or if they're just an accessory, but one thing's for sure - he's cute as a button. Of course, you're never gonna say it out loud, ever.

A plate lands with a silent clank just in front of you. Following the hand that handed it to you, you find Renji's overly happy face, giving you a warm smile.
You answer it with a sarcastic frown. Did you ask for those things? What does he think you are, disabled? What's with the friendly treatment?
"Come on," he says "You're not eating?"
Well, whoop-dee-doo, wannabe Sherlock. This girl ain't eatin' cause there are no things that look even relatively edible on this table. No, the ones you picked don't look any better either, so you can go fuck yourself with a rake. Your gay friend would like to watch, that's for sure. 's what they call strenghtening bonds between friends, you know. Should try it sometime. Maybe at least it'd teach you not to do things that are unasked for. Fuckin' idiot.
"..."
Even so, while it doesn't look edible, you might have no choice but to force it down your poor throat. Yeah, you're used to eating whatever comes by, an advantage of being homeless and poor, but those... Eh, at least that insane monk didn't tell you to pay for it. Like he did about the bed. The one you slept in, that is. Like if it was something you'd decided about. Next time, he's gonna knock you out, throw you into the basement and demand a payment for using it. Hell, he DOES look like the kind of person to do that. The girl who made all those... things is his absolute counterpart. Weak and fragile like a crippled child, kind and well-mannered. Ah, how nice it would be to grab that sweet, white neck of hers! Ah, how nice it would be to drive a fist right into her mouth! Ah, how nice it would be to violate her, show her who's the boss!
Her whole existence seems to be screaming 'dominate me!'. And you wish you were joking. Grow some balls, freak! God, those people are so...

You try one of the round, brown things, suspicious about their origin, but it turns out to be just rice... With some sort of filling. Weirdly coloured, but it's undoubtedly rice. Hm, would've never guessed. Well, this might not be as bad as it looks...

No, actually, it is, but screw that. You can't allow yourself to be fussy. Not in this kind of situation.

And there's also that note about a job you found in your backpack but didn't have time to even run an eye over...