Chapter Text
Some things had to change. Your parents made it very clear, but you knew it yourself. You caused them too much trouble. Even though that was never your intention.
You had to move all the way from Tokyo to Morioh, as far away as possible.
"Y/N-chan, are you okay?" You were brought back by your name being called by one of your classmates. "Are you feeling unwell?"
You swallowed the lump in your throat. You were slipping. You can't screw up. Not now that everything is perfect.
The bell rang. Class was over. But some of your classmates were stuck in place, some pretending to be minding their own business while clearly eavesdropping and others were staring at you shamelessly. Damn it...
You licked your lips and put on the best smile that you could as you turned to the girl.
"I'm fine! just tired."
"You're so diligent, Y/N-chan, but you can't push yourself too hard."
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you!" You said sweetly and she seemed to glow from your attention.
"O-of course!" She exclaimed. "And if you need anything, you can count on me!"
"I hope that I never trouble you though."
Not an ounce of aggressiveness on this interaction. It was still so alien to you. You're not used to it yet despite it being months by now.
You are used to people either going for your throat or talking behind your back. That's how it was like back in Tokyo.
"Did you see her?" Well, you still got some of it, but for a completely different reason. "She was out of it. She looked so dumb~"
"Shut up!"
"HUH?! What was that?!"
"Hey, come on now..." You tried to interfere, but it was too late.
"You heard me!" The girl turned to your "bully" and spoke. "Who do you think you are to talk to Y/N-chan like that?!"
"Why do you worship the ground that she walks on? You know that big city girls like her don't give a damn about us, right? She will never see you as an equal. Stop being so stupid!"
"Y'N-chan is super nice, smart and pretty! Things that you will never be! So get some shame and stop being mean to her just because you're jealous!"
While all the eyes were on the two girls fighting, you sneaked out of the classroom, hoping that no one saw you.
That's right! Now you got a new kind of trouble in Morioh, more especifically in your school. You got the hatred of certain girls because of other people's perceptions of you. That is, other girls who think that you and Higashikata Josuke are the perfect match for each other for no reason other than you two being physically attractive and popular. You don't really understand the logic, but some of Josuke's fangirls gave up their feelings for him completely for "your sake".
That wasn't all of them though. Some saw you as a threat because of all the attention that you started to get, and this new switch on the school's dynamic only seemed to fuel their hatred towards you. Not that you really cared though.
All this drama that you pass through, unwillingly mind you, every day makes you wonder if you are bound to it. No matter what you do, you never seem to be able to escape from the spotlight. Doing "good" and doing "bad" showed you this well enough.
Back in Tokyo, you became a delinquent against your will. Seriouslly, it wasn't your fault!
You were just living your life when one of your classmates decided to harass you for rejecting him. He kicked your back, you "blacked out" and then, the moment you "wake up", he's leaning against the wall of a building, blood everywhere, his body barely moving as he struggles to breath.
No matter what he said, nobody would believe that you were responsible for it. You're just a girl, how could you possibly beat up a guy like that? But they were all going to believe. You found yourself constantly surrounded by other delinquents. Stupid boys who were looking either for revenge or a challenge. Some just wanted to check it, believing blissfully that you are just another defenseless, weak girl that they could mess with and humiliate further by breaking you down. But when everyone who tried to lay a finger on you ended up the same way as the first guy, you had to face it. It really was you. And it was just a matter of time until you got a bad reputation and people started to either avoid you or try to pick a fight with you.
"L/N-chan!"
You froze at the familiar rough voice.
"Yes, Nijimura-kun?"
You turned to the boy that was coming after you. He gave you the creeps, but not for the reasons that your classmates would assume.
"Here." He extended his arm. "You dropped this."
"Oh! Thank you, Nijimura-kun!" It was one of your notebooks. You took it from his hands and put it back on your backpack.
"Sure thing!" He smiled at you a bit shyly, it felt almost like you made his day somehow, but it could only be your imagination. "Well, see ya tomorrow!"
"See you!" You waved back as he walked away. "D-damn it... That one was close..."
You placed a hand on your chest, feeling your heart thumping.
"It's okay, Y/N... He's not looking for trouble..." You told yourself lowly.
"You know that he and his friends stare at you a lot, right?" You decided to ignore the voice that whispered softly in your ear. This annoying voice that you hate with your whole self.
You were still in a rush. Those girls could be over with their petty fight already and you don't want to be involved on their drama so soon. None of them are worth of your time. You rushed back home and headed straight to your room, plopping down on the bed.
You just wanted to sleep. But you wouldn't get it so easily. You noticed a soft hue of light shining in front of your face.
You thought that if you ignored her long enough she would go away. But this ghost was persistent and a true pain in the ass.
Even your parents weren't all over you like that. But again, this wasn't your parents, it was a ghost whose been haunting you and actively contributing to turn your life into a miserable nightmare. She should be punished for everything that you passed through, but you know that that will never happen.
"What do you want?" Your voice came muffled by the pillow.
Silence. She didn'y spoke until you peeked an eye at her.
"Why were you ignoring me?" She asked.
"Guess why." You spat back. "If you have nothing important to say, then you should leave me alone. Why do you enjoy making me suffer so much?"
"I don't make you suffer. You're the one who want to fight back your destiny."
She terrifies you. A humanoid between a woman and a robot, with long straight hair that disappears as it cascades down her body, eyes and mouth always closed, even when she speaks. But when she acted like that, all your fear vanished, and rage took over it's place.
"Oh really?!" You chuckled, no humor in your voice, as you sat on your bed to stare at her. "How do you explain my life then, hm?"
"It's a wonderful life." Her monotone answer made you feel like face-palming.
"We had to move because of you!" You pushed a finger against her chest. You managed to touch her somehow.
"Should I have let you get abused then?" You didn't had an answer to that.
"I just wish that your solutions weren't so extreme ." You managed.
"That is impossible." She kept going before you could ask why. "You are a magnificent person, Y/N L/N. You were born to be grand."
"Grand does't mean extreme."
She shrugged. The darn thing dared to shrug her stupid shoulders to you.
You groaned and throwed your pillow at the her, hoping that you could hit her, but the pillow passed through her body and hit the wall instead.
"Dear?" Your mom called form the other side of the door. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes mom. Sorry..."
You winced, wondering if she would walk in, but thankfully she didn't.
"You may not understand it right now, Y/N..." The ghost patted your head. "But one day you will."
You slapped her hand away and got up from your bed to retrieve your pillow, ignoring her.
"Y/N?" She called softly to you.
You didn't answer. You just changed to your pyjamas quietly.
You layed down on your bed, but she still refused to go away.
"What?" You questioned her once more. "What do you want?"
"Why are you so rude to me?" She asked. "I am so good to you."
"No, you're not."
You hoped that she would leave you alone, but she just don't know when to give up.
She hovered over you. Was it just you or did she seemed a bit sad?
"You don't even call me by my name..." She lamented. "Did you forget that my name is Kaleida?"
"Of course I didn't."
"Then why don't you say it?" She pressed. "Call me by my name, please."
This was driving you insane. You said her name and wished her a good night. That was enough for her to disappear for now.
~.~.~.~.~.~
You couldn't sleep that night. Kaleida got on your nerves enough for sleep to not reach you.
The girls that liked you were all over you, worried sick, asking you what happened and shoving make-up and treats your way to make you "feel better". You didn't refused anything. Other than that, some boys tried to swoon you by "trying to act nice" and the girls who hate your guts kept mocking you for your appearence. You didn't mind, but you could feel it. All this was tiring you. You were about to snap. If you're not careful enough, you will snap.
On your way back home, it finally happened. Just like deja vu.
"Hey there~"
"Hm? Sorry, are you talking to me?" You forced yourself to turn towards the guy that was behind you.
Some ugly bastard who thought of himself as some hot stuff. Definitely a delinquent.
"Of course I am! 'M seeing no other pretty chicks around~"
"Right..." You forced yourself to take a deep breath. "If you don't mind, I need to get back home, so..."
"Cool! I'll walk ya."
Your grip on your bag tightened. The creppy stalker type. Ew.
You refused them many times, but the situation always ended in the same way. With them on the ground and the sole of your shoe pressing against their pathetic faces as they clutched their crotchs in utter pain.
But you don't want to fight him. You don't want to go down this path again. You finally managed to make things differently. You can't lose it all now.
"Thank you, but..." You took in a deep breath, already antecipating his answer. "That is not... Necessary."
"Are you trying to push me away?" He huffed, trying to intimidate you by puffing his chest out. "Even though I am being so nice to you..."
Your nose stinged at the scent of tobacco. A smoker as well. Hooray!
You covered your nose and took a large step back.
"I don't want to fight and I meant no offense." You tried to clarify, voice muffled slightly by your hand's attempt of preserving your own lungs. "I just don't know you.
"That's the perfect excuse for us to know each other better then, don't you think, doll~?"
"Maybe some other time."
"Heh... So you really are pushing me away..."
Oh no.
Ohnoohnoohno-
You swallowed dryly. Hoping that Kaleida would stay still.
You turned around and tried to run away, but the guy pulled you roughly by the collar of your uniform like a mama cat holding it's kitten. But it wasn't cute or normal at all.
"WHAT THE-?!" You gasped. "Let go!"
You tried to escape from his grasp, but he barely budged. He only chuckled darkly as he watched you struggle.
Then your processed a sharp sting. He slapped you ass. He slapped your ass and now he was groping it.
You don't "black out" anymore. You are councious when Kaleida take over now. Maybe is because you finally understand what's going on. Or maybe is because you had no choice but to accept it. Anyways, you felt it clearly, the moment that she took over your body. She always shrinks her size until she looks like a leech, and lodges herself on your nape. But, instead of sucking your blood, she seems to enhance your habilities somehow, making you powerful. Stronger, faster, tougher, smarter...
In this case, you effortlessly grabbed his hand and, with a firm hold, throwed him away like he was a rag doll. He fell to the pavement with a dull thud and you heard clearly the wheeze of breath that was forced out of his lungs.
"Y-you bi-!"
You didn't gave him time to speak. You kicked his face hard, sending him flying once more.
"Shut up..."
You walked over him slowly as he tried to scramble back to his feet.
"Nuh-uh! I don't think so..."
You pulled him by his collar and started punching his face, each blow more merciless than the last.
"S-stop-!" He gasped, spitting blood, his nose already crooked at an odd angle and purplish, matching his swollen eyes. "I- I'm sorry! I-"
"It's too late for that."
You don't remember much after that. You just treated him with the same gentleness that a truck would. When you came back to your senses, you had the same familiar sight that constantly graced your eyes almost on a daily basis back in Tokyo.
A piece of shit on the ground. Beaten to a bloody pulp.
You watched him for a while, unmoving. Kaleida detached herself to you and floated beside you, now on her regular size.
What do you do now? You never worried about what you would do to these guys after beating them up, but things are different now. You can't just leave him here. You can't drawn any suspicion to you. But you were out of ideas.
You felt Kaleida tapping your shoulder.
"Let's drag him to the bushes." She pointed to the forested area that was a bit far from the road.
"And of course you know how to get rid of a body..."
"Oh! So you already had a plan?" She cocked her head to the side.
"Shut up."
"Okay."
"You're not going to do your thing already?" You briefly turned to her. "I can't carry him on my own."
"I thought that you didn't wanted my help."
You felt a vein on your temple throb and you glared at her.
"Well... I want it now..." You said slowly, bubbling up with renewed anger.
"Alright then!" She chirped. "Let's throw the trash away!"
"Pffft-!" You hated that that made you laugh, but you caught yourself. "Kaleida..."
"Okay, okay, okay...!" She whined as she shrunked again and floated to your nape. "Just a second."
"Go on..."
"All set!"
You carried the thug all the way to the bushes as if he weighed nothing, dropping him on the dirt ground without putting much thought into it.
"Alrighty!" You heard Kaleida cheering behind you, still stuck to your nape. "Good job!"
"We're not done yet. Now we need to rush back home and call an ambulance."
"Why? This guy sucks ass."
"Well, yeah, but I don't want him to die or anything." You said, starting to run towards your house, your speed significantly faster.
"Here you go again... Wanting to punish yourself when it is somebody else's fault..."
You almost stumbled on your rush, but managed to recover quickly and keep your pace.
"You don't understand." You said. And how many times have you repeated the same thing? "Why do you keep arguing anyway?"
"Because you are much stronger than anyone else will ever be, but you refuse to accept it."
"So what?"
"They should be the ones apologizing to you, not the opposite." This speech of grandeur always gets on your nerves.
"That is not for you to decide." You spat. "The world won't work the way you want it to. Ever."
"Well... It should."
You ignored her completely until you got back home.
"Welcome back! Is everything okay?" Your mom knocked on the bathroom door after seeing you rushing inside.
"Yeah! Just going to take a shower. I'm all sweaty and stinky."
"Alright then." She muttered on the other side of the door. "Come down for dinner once you're done."
"Okay!"
"Hehe~! Liar~!"
"Kaleida." You whispered. "Shut up."
She just kept chuckling lowly while watching you getting rid of your bloodied uniform.
"Here." You shoved the clothes towards her. "Can you get rid of the blood?"
"No can do~ Even I have my limits. Sorry~"
"Tsk! Useless ghost..."
She pouted, but it was unnervingly fake. "So rude...~"
"Quiet."
"If you were interested in knowing more about me, we wouldn't be on this situation right now. So it's all your fault."
"Just disappear already!" You raised your voice, but quickly smacked your hands against your face and only let them slide down when you calmed down a bit. "Go away, Kaleida!"
Surprisingly, she didn't fight. She did just as you requested. A little mercy it seems.
You kicked your unifrom to a corner then finally hopped in the shower, all while planning a way to wash your uniform without your mom noticing. Maybe you could only manage on the weekend. You would hide it somewhere until then and wear your spare one just for the next day.
~.~.~.~.~
You were so scared about your parents finding out about what happened that you didn't sleep well that night eihter. Two sleepless nights in a row results on sluggish movements, heavy eyes and an awful headache.
Your grip on your bag faltered when you noticed a group of people standing in front of you.
"Ah! L/N-chan!" Your eyes widened, sobbering up by both shock and surprise. "Good morning!"
"M-morning..."
"Fancy seeing you here! We wanted to have a little chat with you."
You felt a bead of sweat rolling down your temple. Why did Josuke and his friends wanted to talk to you?
"Oh! I see!" You swallowed the lump that formed in your throat. "Okay then. What do you guys want to talk about?"
"Come here." They started to head to the park. "We need a little bit of privacy for that."
"Got it." You nodded, but your legs were trembling. Did you seriously needed that much strenght and will just to walk?! Once you reached the park, they made you sit on a bench, the three boys cornering you. Josuke and Okuyasu were staring at you like two cops at an interrogation. Koichi looked nervous. Either pitying you or just scared to be around you. Were they going to play "good cop and bad cop", but with three? You cleaned your throat and placed your hands on your lap politely, the same way that ou carefully crafted to help with your good girl image. "Soooo...? What do you guys want to talk to me about?"
"Cut it out." Josuke scoffed. "We know what you did."
You froze.
"Hum?" You feigned innocence. "What did I do?"
"You killed that punk yesterday."
"Josuke, she didn't killed him."
"But she could." Okuyasu chimmed in way too excitedly. "Did you guys see how she beated his ass?!"
They both cringed at his excitement before turning to you again. "Anyways, don't think about lying. We saw everything."
You felt your head throb.
Great! Just great!
"Yeah. I did it." You gave up along with your act, crossing your arms and legs and glaring down at them. "Why do y'all care? You gonna snitch on me?"
"No way. That wouldn't be enough." Josuke said and you clenched your fists. Did you had to fight all over again? Did you seriously gone this far just to be dragged back into your old life?
There must be something that you can do, right?
"Well, Higashikata, if you or any of your cute little friends snitch, your treatment will be worse than his. I can promise you that." First a threat. Anything before blowing up and throwing hands.
"Then tell me why you are using your stand to spank people and I might think about it."
"Huh?" You cocked your head to the side. "A stand? What are you talking about?"
Awkward silence follows, the birds barely chirping on the background.
You were all clearly ignorant about very important pieces of information from both sides, but by their shared glances you are pretty sure that the most ignorant person in the room right now is definitely you.