Chapter 7

It was cold. Very cold. Colder than I had ever experienced. I knew I wasn’t in Toyko anymore, but exactly where, I couldn’t tell. I groaned as I sat up, realizing I was lying on a bench in some park. My mind was hazy, my head felt like there was a ring of fire burning through it, and nausea eclipsed my body. I doubled over and vomited on the ground, spilling out nothing but bile on the pavement. I collapsed onto the bench and let out several curses. I pressed my hand to my head and sat like that for several moments. Then, I heard someone say something. I opened my eyes, looked in front of me and my breath caught in my chest. It was a woman with pale skin and long, silver hair. She was wearing a thick winter hat and a thick, long black coat. Her eyes were pale blue, and though they conveyed no emotion, I found them beautiful. She said something to me again, but it was in a language I could not understand. I stared at her in confusion, then she held out the drink she was holding in her hand. I didn’t know what it was, but I could see steam wisping from it.

“For me?” I squeaked out in a rough, dry voice.

The woman nodded and pushed the drink closer to me. I took the drink in my shaking hands and sipped it. It was some sort of tea and it instantly warmed up my body as I drank it down. I gulped down the entire thing and let out a satisfied sigh. The woman was still staring at me. I looked down at the now-empty cup and blushed slightly.

“Oh, was this yours? Was I not supposed to drink all of it? Sorry.” I handed the cup back to her.

The woman just shook her head, taking the cup back. She reached into her bag around her waist and took out a scarf and started to put it around my neck. It was surprisingly warm and comforted me from the cold.

“Oh, thank you, I really appreciate this, but you don’t have to-”

The woman cut me off as she started to speak in fluent Japanese.

“You aren’t from here. Do you know where you are?”

I sat there stunned for a moment, taking in how perfect she was able to speak the language despite not being from the country. Then I realized what she said. ‘From here.’ Meaning, I was no longer in Japan.

“I don’t.” I looked around and saw signs in a language I didn’t recognize or understand. “Where am I?”

“Poland. Do you have any idea how you got here?”

“Poland?!” I stood up, but instantly became dizzy and nauseous again, and stumbled back into the bench.

“Yes, Poland.” The woman said in a monotone voice, sat down next to me, took off her glove and placed her hand on my forehead. “You appear to have a fever. Please, come with me.”

Before I could protest or even answer, she grabbed my arm, helped me up and placed her arm around my waist, holding me tightly to her. I understood it was to keep me upright, but for a woman who was shorter than me to hold me like this, I couldn’t help but blush.

“You don’t need to hold me so... tightly.”

“But I do. Because you will pass out soon.”

“Huh-?”

And as if on cue, I passed out.

***

I woke up inside a room, on a bed, and in new clothes. They were baggy pajama-like clothes in a simple white colour that were just slightly too small for me. The bed was cozy and far more comfortable than the park bench. Beside the bed was a night table that had a drink and some medicine on it. The note said it was more tea. I reached over to it before pausing, remembering what had just happened when I drank tea given to me by a stranger.

“There’s no sedative in this one.”

“Wah!”

I jumped in surprise to the voice. I looked to the other side of the room and saw the same woman from before sitting in a chair, dressed in casual clothing, one leg crossed over the other as she read a book. The book was actually a Japanese manga, which surprised me even more. I shook my head and sat up in bed.

“Were you watching me sleep?!”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

She put a finger on her chin and looked up, thinking over the question. “Since you collapsed on my shoulder in the park.”

“So you brought me here? And you put me in bed?” I paused looking at the small woman and tried to understand the logistics of it.

“And also changed your clothes. Those pajamas are comfy, are they not? They’re my favourite ones.”

I stared at her, eyes wide and mouth agape. I had so many questions swirling in my head, so much about what was going on, about how I got here, and where here was. But the most important question exploded out of my mouth.

“You saw me naked?!”

“Yes.” She said, sipping her tea and closing her book, placing it on the table next to her. “But that is unimportant. Drink that tea, take that medicine, and put on those clothes there. We have much to discuss.”

With that, the woman started to leave.

“Wait, what’s your name? I’m Ryuki.”

“I know, Ryuki. I am Marie Nowak.”

Then, she left the room, leaving me dumbfounded, confused and lost.

***

I was seated on a couch wearing a basic white shirt and loose sweatpants that were slightly too small for me. Based on what Marie said about the pajamas, I guessed that these clothes were also hers. I sat there and Marie was seated across from me, staring at me with an expressionless gaze. I tried to avert my eyes from hers, but I kept wanting to look back at her pretty face. It was probably rude to think this way, but I’m an 18 year-old male, I can’t help thinking cute girls are cute. Just as I was thinking that, Marie’s eyes narrowed and I instantly wondered if she read my mind. I gulped loudly.

“Do you remember how you got here? I asked before but never got an answer.”

Internally, I let out a sigh of relief. “Uhm, no, I don’t.”

“Do you remember what happened before you woke up here?”

I tilted my head and tried to think back. It was blurry, and my head started to ache whenever I tried to remember. “I... think I do, but...” Then, my eyes shot open. It all came flooding back in that instant.

My family. The suited people with powers. The flashes and crashes of lightning. The death of my family. The woman who didn’t seem to care. Yukino. Yukino Kuroswa.

I clasped my head, and my eyes started to water. Tears trailed down my cheeks and I quivered.

“I... I do... I was out with my family... in Japan... we were on our way back home when we got caught up in... Something I don’t know. But my family... my family...” I sobbed hard as I tried to say what happened. I was crying uncontrollably, the memories of seeing my family disappear before my eyes.

Then, I felt a soft hand on my back. I looked up and saw Marie was gently rubbing my back. I stopped sobbing, but tears were still pouring out of my eyes. I just stared into her eyes. The emotionless eyes were still just that, but I could see it. A hint of understanding; a hint of empathy.

“I lost them.”