Snippets of +Resonance+ story

This is the place I'll be putting up any tidbits of writing for my light novel idea- which may eventually be turned into a manga if I am bothered.
Feel free to offer opinions on plot/story, character development or whatever you think about.
If you are lucky enough, I may include you in the story in a form of a character- after all, hospitals do have a lot of staff in them.
Most of it isn't going to be in order, later I might sort it out and arrange the events in chronological order.

(posted on deviantart ages ago)

20XX 12月 4日

Toyoagami District Senior High- 月曜日 Monday

It's boring. I didn't even want to get up today. Now I'm at school, waiting for class to start. Everyone gave me a lot of stares as usual, perhaps more than average. I don't blame them. I have freshly wrapped bandages, almost every inch of my body. Turns out, I got a skin infection called dermatitis and it gave me itchy red patches. Some of them even cracked open and leaked a bit of pus out, But that wasn't why I went to hospital three days ago.
[10:38]

Hina is looking at me with her wide green eyes. I think she worries about me too much but we've been through a lot together. We went to the same elementary school and I've known her since. I'm going to tell her about the bandages and operation at break. Hopefully it can put her mind at rest for a while. I can't even concentrate anymore because I just got a throbbing headache that's driving me crazy. I just smile and keep writing down notes on the blackboard.
[11.00]

As I put down my pen from writing, a swarm of people gathered at my table. It didn't take long for me to realise they weren't here for good intentions. Just the usual suspects, the two twins of "Fury"- as I call them (Rika and Ai) and some stragglers left behind from English class. The Fury twins are inseparable, despite not sharing any blood relations, Rika was the one with the bad mouth and Ai just followed her like a pet obeying their master's orders. I was ready for their taunting to begin,
"What are those bandages for?" Rika exclaimed loudly, pointing at the ones peeking out from my dark winter uniform. I sighed. I simplified it so their stupid little brains could understand the complexity of my medical condition which didn't just consist of the dermatitis. "It's because I have a bad skin condition which gives me nasty sores everywhere."
"More like you have a bandage fetish," someone snickered. "Eww..." the two girls cried in unison. I smirked on the inside. It gave me quite some pleasure and delight to scare the Fury double. The boys were chuckling at their reaction. "Well you deserve it." Rika recovered quickly.
"Yeah." replied Ai in a quiet voice.
"It doesn't matter if you get one extra little disease or sickness because you're going to die anyway." Rika narrowed her eyes at me and flicked her short light blue hair proudly.
Everyone in the room fell silent. The air was so dead, you could feel everyone's heartbeat just pause for one second due to the shock value of
Rika's comment.
Ai leant to Rika's ear and whispered, "Didn't you just go a bit too f-?".
Then a loud scraping noice broke the stupor. Hina got up from her chair and pushed through the crowd to hug me. I was relieved Hina hadn't left the room yet. "What did you just say?" Hina hissed at Rika. "That it doesn't matter if Chiarasu gets one little, itty-bitty, extra disease or sickness because she's going to die anyway?!? What is that supposed to mean? You don't think she has suffered enough? Don't you care how she feels...She doesn't wish the pain she goes through to anyone..." Well truth was, I wished the Furies could have a taste of what it would feel to be like me.
But right now, I feel empty inside.
Hina raised her voice even more. "Don't think you are a kami or something because all of us will die at some point. And you are stupid to believe that you can live forever." Rika was stunned by Hina's outburst. It sounded like she had a lot of stress pent-up inside her. I'm betting her voice was so loud, Hina could be heard within the corridors and other classrooms of the school. Everyone started edging away from the main group now in fear that the event has reached the ears of a teacher. Ai just stood near my table, fidgeting with her neck ribbon.
[12:30]

Lunch time. Luckily the teacher left Hina and unfortunately Rika off with a warning, NO SHOUTING OR ARGUING INSIDE THE CLASSROOM. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, DON'T SAY IT AT ALL.
That should teach you Rika for opening your smart mouth.
Thank you Hina- I don't know how to express my gratitude. She was quiet when she ate her bento with me.
"Hina." I had to say something to her.
"Hmm?" She was halfway through her tamago-zushi.
"Thank you for standing up for me." I bowed my head deeply. Hina looked embarrassed because I saw how her face was turning red. "Eh? I-It's alright."
She waved her hands frantically from side to side. "Listen Chiarasu, is it alright if I go to the basketball courts now?". I nodded. "If anything happens, come to me, ok?". "Ok. Thanks Hina." I waved as I saw her retreating back. So I remained at the usual spot, by the shaded grove of trees near the toilets block, away from the clusters and cliques of students milling around the concrete courtyard.
[13:44]

It's math class, where calculations make my brain suffer from vertigo. The headache worsened to the point of almost making me take off from the classroom to the sick bay. Furusha-sensei stopped me though by giving his evil stern glare at my direction. He couldn't stand my "sick" antics. It's not like I can help it. I blankly stared back at him, with the most bored, brain-dead expression. Sensei lifted his lip in disgust and turned to the class. He mentioned something about algebra and equations and graphs. I studiously copied everything down in a desperate attempt to pay attention. The only time I would be allowed to go to the sick bay is when I collapse during his class, unconscious and not breathing.
Then something happened-----------------------------------------------------------------


Ground shaking. Legs flying. Books falling. The world was swaying side to side. Since the school building was old, we were told countless times that if an earthquake were occur, we had to evacuate immediately.

I stood there watching the pandemonium unfold. No one bothered to gather their belongings. The teacher had already left the room, ushering the rest of the class to follow him. No one noticed me, left behind, as they ran out the door.
The ceiling was swirling with colour- bright and flashing, spiraling. I danced around as well, while watching everything fall down. Dust clouds drifted in plumes overhead.


Lying on the school equipment, supplies, books, pencil cases on the floorboards felt slightly comfortable and romantic. Until a table fell on me.
The light metal legs caught on my uniform when I rolled over to avoid the impact. I tugged at the cloth, feebly attempting to free it but the shaking brought down more heavy items such as a fan and a stack of maths textbooks. Heck, even the blackboard loosened from the wall. "Ah!" one last pull released the table's hold but in the process, it snagged part of my shirt as victory. A tie. I puffed in exhaustion and continued to lie on the heap of debris, clutching my stomach. A sharp stabbing jolt emitted from my laparoscopy surgery site- the lower right quadrant. I pulled my skirt a little lower to reveal the packed combine stained with fresh blood. The strain must have upset the stitches, causing the wound to dehisce. I didn't mind the scissors resting beside my head or the upset bucket of red acrylic paint spilt on the tips of my hair. Pencils, pens, rulers, diaries and a pair of headphones littered the classroom. Memories and cute stationery.
Lying there in all the chaos, I didn't mind dying right now.
Death- from earthquake.
Didn't mind at all.
Anything to stop the pain and sickness. [To be continued.]

Pic related to it:

Spoiler:

Great story. Fantastic storytelling there and great use of using real medical problem like the dermatitis one.
Real shocker there was the earthquake and how you described the scene was just absolutely brilliant.
Can't wait to continue reading it if you do place some more snippets.

Also gave me some inspiration to type my story down here. (Depending if I have the time to do it)

Only problem with it is that the Pic link spoiler doesn't have anything in it. Broken link or something cause it's not showing up for me? :S

So it wasn't just my laptop.

(@Mishi - I clicked where the picture should be and did an Open New Tab and it went here:
http://tala-grey.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d3fs30l)

If that's the picture you're trying to link to, it won't work because it's not in a .jpg/.png/.gif file.

Try using this link in the spoiler tag:
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/127/b/c/that_day_by_tala_grey-d3fs30l.jpg

But other than that, it sounds like an interesting story.

@people: My bad! >.<

Anyway, I'll add more later. I have it written up and ready to be typed.

She saw me.
I could never forget that look on Maeda Hina's face.
It wasn't shock or disbelief, not even surprise.
It wasn't the "typical" reaction a person would express if they saw their childhood fried lying on the ground, surrounded by immediate danger with visible injuries.
Actually, I can't find the words to describe it.
Normally I can figure out what Hina is feeling just by looking at her eyes, this time, I was confused.
Found it unreadable.
Her pale apple-green eyes were round and widened, absent were the twinkle and spark of life I had always envied.
I stared into the depths of the emerald ocean and reached the mysterious core- but yielded nothing.
Hollow and empty.
Just like my emotions.

We remained in our same positions, Hina standing above me, with that odd expression on her face, dripping with sweat and slightly gasping for air, while I looked up from below.
She must have run from the basketball courts and up the two flights of stairs to reach the maths block.
Then the following exchange occured:

"Chiarasu?"
________....
"W-what are you doing, lying on the ground like that?"
"Trying to die."
_______"What?"
"Never mind."
"Didn't you see everyone evacuating the school building? Didn't Furusha-sensei tell you to leave the classroom?"
"Yes he did."
"Then why are you still here? Are you hurt?"
"Hina, I'm fine."
"No you're not! Come on, let's get out of here. Everyone is going to get worried."
....

I didn't like the pacing of the conversation. It was broken, strange and foreign, just like how I thought Hina was acting. She seemed like an entirely different person.
As if she had read her mind, Hina slipped back to her true self- the Hina I knew since elementary. She was fussing over my bandages, commenting on how some got unraveled and the combine needed changing. Hina scolded in a light hearted manner,

"Tut-tut. Your uniform is in tatters. What will your mother say to you when you arrive home looking like a rag-doll that had been abandoned and left out in the rain? Hmm, I suppose you could buy a new one if the uniform shop in the office is open. It's better than wasting time mending it, when the shirt is all torn and ripped like that."
I weakly smiled but a pang of guilt reminded me of what happened earlier. Maybe I said it wrong. What could she had possibly been thinking before, I wonder.


[approx 14.00]

Hina was looking at me closely. I didn't want to trouble her further than I've already had, so I pushed that thought to the back of my head. I made a feeble attempt to stand up but fell back instantly. "D-do you still have any pain anywhere?" asked Hina. I shook my head. It was the truth, this time, I didn't even notice the pain disappear during the time Hina arrived.
With an outstretched hand, Hina pulled me up and we both walked down the stairs slowly and out of the school building as if nothing had happened.
Looking around, there really hadn't been much damage on the outside as there was in the inside.
As I walked, I felt a sense of hopefullness overwhelming me. I did survive. The voice inside my head was telling me, "It's going to be alright, everything is going to be fine, just fine. Hang in there...."For a moment, I actually believed it.
Abruptly, Hina stopped just ahead.
I almost crashed into her, yet managed to skid to a halt in time. She reached for my hand and squeezed it tight, with her "classic" frown etched on her face.
Be prepared.

((I swear this is going to be the last installment of Chiarasu's diary! That's why it is so long......I need to start writing the actual events..))

This was the worst event.
Worse than getting bullied in class for my absenteeism and not being able to answer questions.
Worse than fainting in front of the teacher when I hand in my assignment.
At least it was confined to a classroom.
Though I doubt the rumors were just as contained.

All the students that had gathered in their class lines in the playground turned their heads in unison.
To look at us.
Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. Eyes. Eyes.
Everywhere. all looking, staring, laser pinpricks burning into my skin. So intently, that their eyes disappeared into dots and multi-coloured pixels.
Their gaze was so powerful, I desperately wanted to melt away back into the shadows of the school building, even if it was at risk of collapsing.

I turned, tugging Hina's hand, though she still stood her ground, ready. We were facing the firing squad waves of students, standing line
after line, with the teachers acting sentinel- stiff and dignified.
The silence was deafening and numb. Yet Hina bravely lead me to our Maths class line, as if nothing was happening.
I noticed the many eyes were following and tracking our movement.

I narrowed my eyes.
Stop staring....don't you all have something better to do?!? I'll poke, no gouge out your eyeballs so you can't see. Staring is rude you know...
The internal monologue was stuck on repeat. I couldn't tell if if the voice inside my head was saying it or if I was actually thinking of those thoughts.
I don't know how Hina could ignore all of them. (They aren't even human anymore).
STOP IT! QUIT STARING!
All of this- the public humiliation.
I wanted to put my hands on my head and cover my eyes and ears, but I didn't want to let go of Hina's hand in fear of the mob swallowing me whole
with taunts and remarks. One step after another, right foot first, left foot next- it seemed an eternity had passed until we faced Furusha-sensei.

The wrinkles on his aged face had deepened dramatically. His brow creased and mouth tightened to a thin straight line.
Furusha-sensei's eyes were cold and disapproving, looking down on us from his pinched nose.
"I'm sorry, Maeda, for the trouble this girl has caused with her sick antics," he gruffly whispered. More like he didn't like it that I was dragging Hina down
with me.
It was obvious who he was referring to. Furusha-sensei didn't even acknowledge my presence and continued talking to Hina as if I wasn't standing next to them.
"No,no Sensei. I ran into the building to check if Chiarasu was there on my own accord. It's my fault, I should be punished." Hina meekly answered.
She has always greatly respected authority. But it was highly unlikely that Hina would be punished as she was a model top student.
I pretended to not listen, though I felt Furusha-sensei's lingering stare on me.
"Maeda, you're alright. I'm just relieved that you're ok."
"Yes I'm fine," Hina brushed it off. "I only entered the building after the initial shocks ended. But Chia-"
"Was there much damage? It could have been dangerous with the fallen debris..."
"Well, there was a lot of furniture lying around but nothing was blocking the exits or stairs. Mainly fallen tables and chairs," Hina said thoughtfully. "No, it wasn't that bad.
None of the walls or floors were cracked but I'm not sure about the electricity."
Furusha-sensei kept muttering, "That's good, that's good."
Hina cleared her throat directing his attention back to her. Ouch! I felt a sharp nudge in my arm- it was Hina's elbow.
"Though you should check with Chiarasu. She witnessed the event. I think Kirishima-sensei needs to look at her first."
I nervously stepped forward into the spotlight. Furusha-sensei turned his head away. The other teachers didn't regard his behaviour as unusual and continued to watch the scene unfold.
"Please, let her speak." Hina pleaded.
"I-i'm sorry for not leaving the classroom as I was told to, and making everyone worry." I bowed low to the ground, offering forgiveness.
My hair hung close to the ground, had managed to hide most of my embarrassment.
When I realigned my posture, Furusha-sensei bent down and whispered softly in my ear, so softly that Hina couldn't hear.
"Why didn't you stay there underneath the rubble? A worthless piece of trash like you, doesn't deserve to live. You're not even human. You would have been better off,
if you died. Because this world doesn't want a being who has no purpose or reason for existence. and that's why you won't be missed."

He straightened back up and gave a crooked smile. "I've had a chat with Chiarasu and she is fine," he announced happily.
A figure pushed through the military lines before boldly strutting across the school yard. Her elongated gait and clinking of heels could only resound from one person: Ms Kirishima, the school nurse. If you didn't know her, you would have mistaken Kirishima-sensei as the principal.
She bowed at Furusha-sensei and then steely glared at him.
"How can you determine she is fine? I'll have to evaluate her health condition at the sick bay, and not in front of the school quadrangle."
I could see how Furusha-sensei was shrinking away in Kirishima-sensei's presence. "You can come too, Hina." Kirishima sensei lightly took my arm and lead me back to the school building
along with Hina holding my other arm. The principal looked on helplessly and shrugged at Furusha-sensei.
Everyone was sill silent until they saw the last of my hair disappear into the darkness, and I knew,
the buzz and drone which followed, did not come from the bees.