There I sat, terrified in the cold bathroom, shivering as I stared at my hands, my thoughts swirling in confusion and fear. I gawked at the tattoos that had moved from my skin to Kenji's bruised face, erasing each patch of redness that contributed to his pain. Free of the aching he endured in the tub, I now felt that same ache emerging from within my body, causing me to hiss.
The more I focused on it, the more the pain spread. It started as a dull throb in my cheek, right where I had seen Kenji get hit in the video, spreading out like water absorbed by a piece of paper. I winced, touching my face as if I could find the source of the pain, but there was nothing there. Slowly, I looked up, inspecting the pulsing area in the full-body mirror located in front of the faucet.
However, only clear, pale, porcelain skin was seen—no bruise, no mark—just an invisible ache that pulsed with every heartbeat. My breathing grew shallow, panic rising as the pain crept to my ribs, making it hard to breathe. It was like I had taken the blow myself, but I hadn't. I knew I hadn’t.
Curling up on the cold bathroom floor, I clutched my side, trying to steady my breathing. Each breath sent a sharp sting through my chest, as if my ribs were bruised or broken. But there was nothing there, just the relentless, unexplained pain.
I wanted to cry out, to scream for help, but the words were trapped inside me. Instead, I let out a muffled whimper, tears welling up in my eyes as I pressed my forehead against the cool tiles. Why was this happening? What had I done?
Ever since we came to this damn wretched place, I’ve been experiencing nothing but bad luck and a pragmatic understanding of why Gigatron kept me away. The room felt like it was closing in on me, the pain making it hard to think. I tried to focus on something, anything to distract myself, but all I could think about was Kenji—how his pain had somehow become mine.
“Make it stop, make it go away!” my mind screamed, not understanding why now. Why didn’t these things happen when Gigatron was here? Someone I could depend on, to run to when I was confused with my own self. It was so peaceful back then, so why now of all times? I despise it, I despise myself, despise my mind for making me so emotionally stupid. Everything. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.
“I want it all to go away!” I screamed internally, gripping my hair tightly, tugging on my scalp. “To disappear,” I whispered, glancing up at the mirror.
“Go away! Go away! Go away!” The water dripping fueled my anger as the tap dripped loud droplets of water repeatedly against the surface, annoyingly.
Drip
Drip
Drip
“Go away!”
Drip
Tired and aching, I slowly whispered,
“Stop.”
Drip
…
…
…
Glancing up, confusion written on my face, I looked around. Standing up slowly, I felt refreshed and energized.
“Huh, what am I doing in the bathroom?” I thought, lightly scratching my head, hair scattering uncontrollably on the floor. Seeing this, I slowly raked my fingers through its soft fibers, smoothing out the knots.
“Wasn't I downstairs with Mina a while ago?” I puzzled, glancing at my hands, my tingling tattoos grabbing my attention. Confused, I stared at the tattoo marking that now extended past my elbow.
“They grew?” Confused, I traced the ones on my neck, simultaneously glancing into the full-body mirror, squinting my eyes to see if there was any change there as well. However, I couldn’t see clearly from where I was.
Standing up slowly, I quickly walked closer to the mirror, slightly lifting my head to see the tattoos up close, and lo and behold, the first tattooed line around my neck wasn’t exactly a simple line anymore.
“That’s weird,” I thought, staring at the tattoos, inspecting their now newer shape. The tattoo now had a row of what seemed to be multiple mini-inked images of a girl’s body crouched down, holding her head. The hair connected between each image, creating the crisp line that was once there.
You sighed, not really bothered by the mysterious changes the tattoos made, completely unfazed by it at this point. Besides, they usually change every five years, so it wasn’t surprising to you.
Removing your hand from your neck, you glanced back at the faucet, still wondering how you ended up underneath it.
A knock suddenly sounded on the other side of the bathroom door, startling you despite your already pale complexion, which left little color to scare off.
“Kimora, hey, are you still inside?” Kenji's voice came from the outside, along with a familiar scent of cologne drifting into the bathroom.
“Oh, Kenji’s home,” you thought, walking towards the door, your hand seconds away from turning the knob when suddenly an arrangement of labored footsteps echoed down the corridor.
“Mina!” you heard him shout, followed by, “Shit, I forgot she was watching the lizard.” His footsteps then approached the door again, and he frantically turned the knob.
“Kimora? Answer me,” he said, sounding confused. You unlocked the door, wondering why it was locked in the first place, and turned the knob to open it. For some reason, Kenji sounded worried.
Pulling the door open a little too harshly, Kenji stumbled into the room, groaning as he tried to catch his balance before looking up at you.
“Kimora, are you okay?” he asked, his voice filled with concern, but he kept a cautious distance, which only confused you more. Despite that, you slowly nodded, smiling slightly, and raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.
“Are you sure? You suddenly ran out of the living room a couple of minutes ago and locked yourself in the bathroom,” he asked, anger lightly visible on his face, but overshadowed by his worried expression.
“Bolted? Living room? When?” you thought, processing what he said as you tilted your head to the side, confused. You slowly pointed at yourself, drawing a question mark on your other hand for him to see, now trying to grasp what he had said.
“Huh? What do you mean?” he asked, confused, staring at the tattoo. “Why are you confused? You literally just ran away from me a few minutes ago,” his voice projected, his tone rather harsh as he leaned against the bathroom door frame.
“What is he talking about? Wasn't I with Mina a couple of minutes ago?” you thought, staring at the blue eyes that seemed to drill holes into your body, chills running up and down your spine.
“I'm sure I was… right?”
A/N: Another chapter done and I have so much plan for this story; so I hope you guys stick around to see it. Don't forget to vote and comment as it keeps me motivated to continue. Till next time *>*
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✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Enchanted waters (Ken Sato x OC)✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
FanfictionIn the quiet of that newfound area, where time flows differently and the rules are rewritten with each passing moment, I found a friend-a companion. Though curiosity took over, and I timidly asked, "is that what i'll look like in the future?"
