Who am I?
The thoughts of a young man, stumbling around in a dark alleyway.
What is this? Where am I?
The man jolted and fell onto his knees, as a sickening pain ran through his head. He coughed up blood as his consciousness began to fade away.
My thoughts... these memories... they aren't mine... Get out of my head…
He let out a cry as a flash of heat struck behind his eyes. Memories of dying, pain, and sadness flooded into his mind.
"No...Stop! Please…"
He said aloud as he faded into the endless black beneath his eyelids.
I've done this before, were his last thoughts before falling unconscious.
There was a muffled voice inside his head.
"...I am...your savior...You must love me…"
Who are you? He said to the voice.
"...In due time..."
The man awoke suddenly. Nervously, he looked around, wondering where he was. Beside him, sat a beautiful girl, no older than he was. She had long, brownish-red hair, with bright blue eyes and flawless skin.
"Who're you? Where am I?" He said.
"I guess you can call me Sakusei. I found you in an alleyway in Tokyo," before he could even respond, she said, "Who are you?"
"I'm-" His eyes widened as he came to a realization. There had been something missing ever since he first woke up in that alley.
"I don't know…" He said quietly, "My name… I don't know it."
Sakusei gave him a confused look. It was quite strange to not know your own name
"Hmmm…What about Shirou?" She said, "It matches your hair quite well."
Shirou…Come to think of it, I don't even know what I look like...
Despite this, for some reason it just felt right. He nodded in agreement.
"Shirou it is then," Sakusei said, "Why don't you take a shower and get dressed. I want to take you somewhere."
Shirou stood in the bathroom, staring at himself.
This is me…
Looking at his reflection, he has pure white, wavy, shoulder length hair. His eyes are a deep shade of blue, showing no signs of emotion.
Why am I here...I don't understand
"You're here because I want you to be."
A pain shot through his head, and he fell to his knees.
This again...
"Everything is for you," said the voice in his head.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Shirou yelled.
"You don't have to understand yet."
More unfamiliar memories flooded into his head, and he felt himself get weaker and weaker, until he passed out once again.
"Shirou...Shirou?... Shirou?!"
"Huh?" Shirou shot awake. "What happened?"
"You fainted," Sakusei said, noticeably distressed.
What's wrong with me?
Shirou looked up at her, an emotionless look in his eyes.
"Am I normal?"
Sakusei gave him a strange look. Almost like...she was about to cry.
To his surprise, she started giggling, and her face began to turn back to normal after the scare just a few seconds ago.
"Did you look in the mirror? Of course not," She laughed.
Shirou felt a new feeling. Something deep in his chest sank, and he looked down.
"But does normal really exist? Because I don't think so. Don't bother with such trivial things."
Shirou didn't understand, but her words lifted him back up.
"If you're okay now, can we leave? I'm in a bit of a hurry," Sakusei said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. She practically was dragging him outside as he struggled to maintain his balance.
"Where are we going?" Shirou asked.
Sakusei loosened her grip on his arm and turned to face him.
"To the city," She said, smiling.
After about an hour of walking, they reached their destination. It had gotten quite dark, as he slept for over 5 hours.
"We're here," Sakusei announced.
The sight was beautiful. Massive skyscrapers reached up into the sky, farther up than you could ever see. Bustling crowds of people walked throughout the streets, and slickly designed cars carefully wove their way through the masses. But the most mesmerizing sight of all was the colors of the city. Teal, pink, red, and orange lights reflected off of the skyscrapers, and into the sky. It created a blended, ethereal light in an otherwise pitch-black night.
"Where are we?" Shirou yelled , projecting his voice to reach over the static of the crowd. He couldn't believe this was the same gray world he woke up in.
"This is Tokyo!"
Tokyo…Is this really the same place she found me?
"Let's go!" Sakusei yelled, excitedly.
They walked around for a bit, as Sakusei visited various shops, and Shirou, as emotionally dull as always, followed along behind her, carrying the bags of food and other items she had bought. As morning came near, they found themselves on the roof of a surrounding building.
"That was fun," Sakusei sighed.
Shirou didn't know what to say in response. He had never felt anything like this since he woke up here. Alone and emotionless in a world that he knows nothing about, some random girl of all people is the one to save him? He began to doubt that any of this was even real, and that he is stuck in some infinite dream.
Why me? Why am I here? He thought again. I don't deserve this.
As soon as this thought reached his head, he realized something.
Why am I thinking this? Why do I not deserve this? It's almost like… these feelings have been created.
Before he could finish his thought, he felt a tap on his right shoulder. Standing behind him was a masked figure, and before could even react, a sharp object was plunged in his stomach.
Pain.
Sakusei looked over at him, a look of pure terror. She rushed over to him, putting pressure on his wound.
"No, no, no! You can't die yet!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face.
I'm...dying? Oh… that's too bad. I would have liked to see more of Tokyo.
Despite this realization, Shirou didn't feel any shock or fear. Just a deep cavity. A emotion he had never experienced.
I never actually learned anything about her...
With blurring vision, he saw the masked figure moving closer. He tried to warn Sakusei, but the only thing that escaped from his mouth was a mouthful of blood.
The masked figure raised their foot, and kicked away Sakusei. They then reached down and picked up Shirou by the collar of his shirt, holding him as they walked towards the edge of the building.
This is it...I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you, Sakusei.
"NOOO!!" Sakusei yelled, but it was too late.
Shirou looked up at the morning sky, plummeting down towards the ground. He felt nothing, even as he could feel his death coming closer.
What should I be feeling right now? Fear? Anguish? Anger? I don't understand.
All he could focus on was the peacefulness, and the beauty of the sky.
If I could restart, what would I do differently?
As he hit the ground, everything turned black.
He awoke with a gasp.
Looking around, he was in a grey, dark alleyway.
Where am I? I should be dead.
"It was wrong once again."
The voice inside of his head. Shirou began to notice himself breathing heavily.
What's happening to me? What's this feeling?
It was desperation. A new feeling, one unknown to Shirou.
"I swear… It will be correct one day."