The sky was its normal rusty red color since the apocalypse. Yet, Tokyo was as busy and bright as ever. I suppose that's how people cope. With happiness. With a world so broken because of us, you would think that the last standing would die from guilt and shame. My name is Yukio Tanaka. Despite being only a high school graduate, I'm the humble owner of a small apartment building where I help the people in need of a place to stay until they can get back on their own feet. How I got my hands on this apartment building is surprising to even me. I stayed there after my parents were murdered, and the old man who ran the place decided to give it to me when he, too, eventually passed.
I was taking a walk in the neighborhood when I found a girl on the ground, almost lifeless. She was quite beautiful. Her hair was long and white like a sheep's wool, and she wore a light pink kimono, a rather unusual sight. She looked like she was a traveler from America who got stuck here or a geisha on the wrong side of town. I gently shook her shoulder, trying to prod her awake. Soon, she opened her gorgeous sapphire eyes and sat up with a shocked and confused expression. "Where... where am I? What is this place?" Her voice was as soft as her features, and it made my heart throb slightly. "Are you okay, ma'am? Do you need help?" I asked as I lent her a hand. She grabbed my hand and stood herself up, giving me a grateful look.
"Could you tell me where I am? I'm a little lost..." She seemed a little nervous around me. I couldn't blame her. I looked like a slob. "You're in Shibuya, Tokyo. Where are you from?" "I-I'm from... uh..." She seemed even more confused than before, and I couldn't help but sigh. "Come to my apartment building. Maybe some food and water can help you remember." She gave me a wide smile and thanked me before following me back to the apartment. The way she walked was a little strange as she kept tripping over her own feet, but I didn't pay any mind to it. After all, she just woke up and looked delirious. I helped her up the stairs of the apartment and led her to the third room on the fourth floor.
When I opened the door, I was eagerly greeted by two of my very close friends. "Yukio, where have you been? We've been waiting for you!" Goutama is the mature one of the three of us, and he's a proud father of two adorable cats named Hunter and Hazel. "Dude, we've been looking everywhere for yo- hey wait a minute... who's the hot chick next to you!?" Jiro is the youngest of the three of us, and he's quite the troublemaker. Otherwise, he's a very good friend. The girl said, "Oh, pardon me... my name is Akio. It's nice to meet you all." Goutama and Jiro were completely silent until Jiro walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "How did you get a girlfriend before me? Me!?" I chuckled awkwardly and brushed his hand away. "She's not my girlfriend... she just needs help. She doesn't remember where she's from."
Jiro was about to say something else, but Goutama grabbed his shoulder and let Akio and I walk into the room and sit down on the couch. Akio was looking around as if she had never seen anything before, and Jiro whispered, "She seems lost in more ways than one..." I touched her shoulder and asked if she was okay. She looked at me and suddenly poked my cheek. "You... have a fox like face, you know that?" I didn't know how to react, but she took her finger back before I could say anything. She then sat up and said, "I will tell you three where I'm from. But you have to promise you won't tell anyone!" Jiro gave me a concerned look, but I shrugged, and Goutama nodded. Akio took a deep breath and began telling us the most outrageous story I've ever heard.
"I'm from a land called The Second World. The land is full of animal hybrids. My sister and I are princesses of a part of the land! Not too long ago, my sister teleported me to the Forbidden World. The world of humans! Yukio saved me from eternal sleep, and here I am."
Goutama looked stunned, and Jiro was even more so. "Did... you hit your head or something?" I asked, giving her a disbelieving look. "Yes, it's true! I can show you!" Jiro grabbed my shoulder and whispered, "She's crazy dude, why did you bring home an American freak?" Goutama leaned in and whispered, "I have to agree with him this time... she seems rather... insane. There's no other word for it." Akio stood up and cracked her fingers. "Now then... I need a sacrifice! Ah! This will do..." She abruptly took one of Goutama's cats and stroked her fur. "Hey! What do you think you're doing, you crazy person!? Put Hazel down!" Goutama exclaimed while trying to get his cat back from Akio. "Hazel? What a cute name... I just need a little bit of her fur, that's all."
Akio managed to get some fur from Hazel onto her hand and put the cat down. She pulled a rose petal from her kimono and looked back at us with an excited expression. "Listen up. There will be... no way back from this. I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." Even though Goutama and Jiro were relaxed about the situation, I couldn't help but feel nervous. What was about to happen to us? Hopefully, nothing. Jiro laughed at her behind her back, and Goutama looked mildly concerned for her wellbeing. When Akio crushed the petal in the palm of her hand with Hazel's fur, a large and powerful portal appeared on a wall, and she was sucked in instantly. Jiro was next, and Goutama dove after him in a panic, getting sucked in as well.
I was holding onto anything I could, but I lost my grip and got sucked into the unknown.