notorious - chinchikurin ff

1 - departure

They say recalling an event is actually just remembering the last time you thought of it. You really begin to question the authenticity of your memories when you're exposed to those who only have stories to tell. Working at a senior center taught me the value, and even the irrelevance, of life. "That's wonderful, Mr. Sanad! Your views on life are always refreshing," I smiled at the old man, redirecting his wheelchair.
"I wish there was more of it to live," he chuckled breathlessly. This was something all the staff had to get used to. The seniors of the center often masked their nostalgia with humor as we masked our pity with work efficiency.
"Say, Miss Rine," the frail Mrs. Faye called out, her voice slightly shaking, "word has spread about your departure," and just like that, all seniors close enough to hear lifted their heads.
"What are you on about, Faye?" Ms. Lynn blurted, unaware of who to look at.
"Ah, well, I'm moving back into my old apartment," I hesitantly stated, picking up the empty floral printed teacups. Their intently focused faces hinted at their confusion,
"What did you say?!" Mr. Hani lifted his glasses. He always had a way with words. Not the most polite way, but surely a way.
"My apartment's renovations are over, I'm allowed back in. The drive is a bit of a hassle," I repeated, slightly louder so my words could be audible.
"Whatever, lady," Mr. Hani seemed unconvinced, "who else is gonna enjoy my algebraic equations?" Not me, that's for sure. Mr. Hani was a known genius - ask him about any subject and he'll provide you with an answer. As salty and conceited as he may sound, malice has never been used to describe him.
"In that case, I'm sure Rome would love to challenge you," I sent my coworker a wink as he widened his eyes in fear. Mr. Hani chuckled at the sight. I quickly realized my shift would be ending soon, time for unfortunate goodbyes.

"We'll miss you," Mrs. Faye whispered, taking my hand in with both of hers.
"I'll miss you all, as well," I smiled sadly, "I promise to visit!"
"Yeah, you better, or else Rome's poor brain will fry at the hands of mine," Mr. Hani bickered, adjusting his hat. Rome crossed his arms and faced away from the old man,
"Who said it's not already fried," earning a victory laugh from Mr. Hani. "Come, let me drive you," Rome turned to me, smiling.

It was getting dark which meant the street lights would turn on soon. The sight always excited me.
"Here," Rome called out, opening his car door for me. I motioned a 'thank you' as he closed it.
"Man, I'm gonna miss it here," I whined, sneaking glances at the building.
"Yeah, yeah. You're gonna miss the pay," he remarked as I lightly hit his arm. "Your apartment's not too far, we can visit each other every now and then. Oh yeah, isn't there some notorious, stuck-up village near you?" Rome spoke, words flowing out. He always made comments and asked questions without giving me room to answer.
"Bro, if you don't slow down," I cut him off before he could continue, "yeah, the village rarely ever interacts with outsiders. I go near the area sometimes,"
"Yo, some rumors have been spreading about a purple beast. It basically eats anything it comes across," Rome nodded with full confidence. I rolled my eyes and laughed. "What? I'm serious! That area is cursed," the car ride consisted of random conspiracies until it suddenly got quiet.
"Oh, we made it," I went to open my car door but Rome put a hand on my shoulder,
"Let's make this emotional,"
"Just get out the car, let's check my apartment out," I brushed him off. He excitedly got out and ran up the stairs.
"Damn, Rine," he choked on his words, "they really fixed the place" I nodded.
"Hey, I have an idea," I smirked. His eyes slightly widened in fear, "why don't we go up to Masuda?"
"You mean that notorious village?!" He cried. I nodded excitedly, grabbing Rome's hand and leading him to the door.

Rome and I got in his car and drove a bit until we found a dirt road. I ran out and began walking up the small hill. "What's up with all of these branches? We're making so much noise; definitely the Purple Beast's next meal," he began whining.
"We're almost there!" I took pauses in between my words.
"Stop," ignoring Rome, I kept walking, "I said stop," he repeated, raising his voice in slight fear.
"Bro, what? We've basically arrived," I turned around, only to find him raising his index finger up to his mouth. I looked around suspiciously.
"Rine, we're not 'almost there', we've been there. We entered Masuda Village the moment we passed the dirt road," he cleared his throat. Crunching noises became audible. Ones that surely weren't ours. The louder they were, the faster they became. Rome and I looked at each other, and on sync, began to run. "Dammit, I knew this was a bad idea!" I heard Rome shout.
"Shit," I murmured, "I give up, let's just stop running!"
"Are you insane?! I'm not dying here," he replied, his speed accelerating, forcing me to run along.
"We don't even know what we're running towards," I cried, regret suffocating me. I noticed a house full of light and redirected myself, grabbing Rome's hand. The crunching noises behind us faded as we sighed in relief.
"You're crazy," Rome began laughing, his back hitting the house's wall.
"Shut up," I fell to the ground, chuckling at our current situation. We realized we had spoken too soon when the door began slowly opening. I couldn't help but also notice the crunching noises getting closer, except this time, they were slow and steady; tainted with purpose. Whoever's coming this way knows where they're headed.
"Now, what the hell is going on here?" A voice I couldn't recognize, nor process, spat. I quickly got up from the ground, eyes meeting with Rome in shock. He instinctively pulled me behind him, but I slid to the side, attempting to catch the face of the culprit.
"Hey, I'm sorry," I hesitantly spoke, "my friend and I got lost and ended up here,"
"Bullshit, you were running!" The same unrecognizable voice retorted, except this time, I could fully see their face. I snorted at the sight. The angry one had two blond pigtails sticking out of their head. "Who the hell are you laughing at?!" Pigtails pointed at me, slightly stomping on the ground.
"Calm down, Hana," a deeper voice cooed, "sorry about him, he's quite temperamental," the taller individual with maroon colored hair spoke up. He was wearing what seemed to be a school uniform, except his chest was somewhat exposed.
"You know, it's kind of funny. We know an old man named Hani who acts the exact same!" Rome points at the blond one, falling into an obnoxiously loud fit of laughter. I tried to stay composed, covering my face. Pigtails stormed up to Rome and tugged him by his collar.
"Ay, calm down," I tried to break them apart.
"Shut up, bitch," Pigtails muttered, yet still glaring at Rome, which got both my friend and I riled up.
"Hanabishi," a new voice called out authoritatively, forcing him to let go. "Have some respect," the new guy appeared from behind the door, maintaining eye contact with the younger one. I'm guessing he was watching the entire time.
"Sorry, Haruma, did we wake Sutera up?" The maroon-haired one asked, elbowing the angry blond. The man shook his head in response, and on queue, a baby's voice could be heard echoing through the area.
"Oh, Jesus," the maroon-haired one sighed as Haruma turned around, re-entering his house.
"This is all your fault," Hanabishi crossed his arms,
"You're the one being loud," Rome bickered, swinging his head to the side in a salty manner.
"Boron, who's fault is it? Tell us!" The blond, fuming with anger, stomped.
"Oh, shut up already," replied the taller one, "would you like to head inside?" The one I presumed to be Boron, invited. Rome and I quickly glanced at each other and nodded. "I'm sure we could all use some water, give me a second," Boron said monotonously, walking away. We stood in silence but the tension was so prominent that I swear it was the loudest silence.
"Sit," Hanabishi sulked into the couch.
"You're a sweet one," I sarcastically stated, earning a glare. Turning my head, I saw both Boron and Haruma walking towards us.
"Water," the maroon-haired one threw the bottles at Hanabishi and Rome, whilst handing me mine. I noticed Haruma holding a baby, which made me jump up instantaneously. I'm used to being around those who speak about not having much life left. Seeing someone so small with so much room to grow isn't a very usual sight.
"Woah! They're so cute!" I exclaimed, getting closer. Haruma chuckled, looking down at the child,
"His name's Sutera,"
"Hello, Sutera. I'm Rine," I slowly waved.
"Rine," I could hear Haruma slowly repeat to the baby. We all made our way to the couches and I could feel the same previous tension growing again.
"So, what brings you two here?"