Introducing Noriko
Sep. 4th, 2007 09:38 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsIn the middle of Tokyo, a young mutant wakes up, hoping today will be just like the others. Unluckily for her, it won't be. Which, given what her normal days are like, means it's going to be -very- unpleasant.
Without warning, Kikuchi Noriko shot up, instantly awake, casting about for answer. She was alone on the couch, which was a good sign – her bedmates rarely took her sudden starts into wakefulness well. The room Noriko recognized as the back room of one of Takeshi’s clubs. She couldn’t remember much of the previous evening but it was easy enough to guess what all had happened – she’d ended up here after at least one other party, probably a few, but he must have gone home with some other girl and she’d eventually passed out back here, to wake alone and frightfully sober. Well, his having gone off on his own didn’t bother Noriko, but the sober was something to work on.
Unable to sit still any longer she sat up and swung her legs off the couch, setting them into her heels that one of the club staff had left next to her, then grabbed the Luis Vuitton bag that she’d been using as a pillow and started rifling through it.
“~Shit~,” she muttered as she found the innocuous pill case and shook it, then opened and dumped the last two into her hand. Well, with some sleeping pills this would control the buzz long enough for her to get more, and without another thought she knocked back the two pills then dropped the empty case back in as she stood up. Time to get going.
The sun was glaring down on Tokyo as she made her way out the back of the club and headed down the street. At the vending machine next to the Shinto shrine around the corner she got some water, scowling at the contents of her wallet before dropping it back into her bag. Running out of money again. Well, she had her old school uniform in her bag – time for a trip to Akihabara... Ugh. But the otaku perverts paid for her food, who was she to complain. Sighing, she turned towards the train station.
---
The pills were definitely starting to kick in by the time she’d made it to the station and as the train pulled up she shouldered her way past the people pouring out to sprawl onto a seat, ignoring the signs proclaiming this area to reserved for elderly and handicapped passengers. Leaning her head back against the window and proceeded to ignore the world.
She didn’t see the boy get on the train but she it couldn’t have been more than five stops later that the hairs on the back of her neck started prickling and she pried open a bleary eye to see him, standing at the door in his school uniform and staring at her. Her first thought was to dismiss him as just another unfortunate still stuck in the hell of juku and entrance exams, admiring her for not being a slave to the teachers, but something didn’t quite jell. She stared back at him for a few seconds until he blushed and looked away, then spent another few seconds considering him. Her mind was sluggish now, and she couldn’t figure out what it was about him that caught her interest. But then he looked back at her, squared his shoulders and moved down the aisle to stand in front of her.
“~Um... Kikuchi? Kikuchi Noriko? Do you remember me? We were in class together last year... I’m Chiba Junsuke.~”
Noriko stared at him as he began to speak, her eyes widening as she realized what he was saying. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad. Thank the gods Tokyo trains were fast. Already they were pulling into another station and Noriko stood up suddenly, forcing the boy to take a step back.
“~Sorry, Chiba, don’t remember you. Got to go.~” The words were rude and abrupt, and tumbled out of her mouth as she moved away from him. The doors opened she darted off the train, not even paying attention to where she was going and <I>definitely</I> not looking back to see what Chiba would do.
Noriko darted up the down the stairs into the train station, heading for the closest exit, and eagerly fed her ticket into the machine to get out, and rushed out onto the street. Damn her luck. And damn Chiba. What the hell was he doing out on the trains now. Shouldn’t he be at club practice, or studying, or some other stupid, time wasting thing.
As though conjured by her thoughts a voice called out behind her. “~Kikuchi! Kikuchi-san!~” Glancing back Nori saw the boy racing after her, and she scowled.
“~Leave me alone! Go away or I’ll scream!~” she shouted back, then turned and ran.
Unfortunately for her, in his school shoes and uniform, Chiba was much better off than she in her heels and short skirt. Even more unfortunately, the shouting had caught the attention of the men in the police box on the corner and, looking over her shoulder to see if the boy was catching up, she didn’t notice the police man step into her path and almost bowled him over.
“~What’s going on here?~” the policeman asked as, panting, Chiba pulled up to a stop.
Noriko didn’t even have time to say anything before the boy spoke up. “~Excuse me, officer, but this girl... We went to school together. She’s run away from home – her parents are terribly worried... Can you please help me?~”
---
Noriko sat and stared at her hands as the officer poked through her bag, face impassive as he pulled out her clothes, make-up and wallet. The box of sleeping pills, though, and the unmarked, empty pill canister did get a raised eyebrow, but the man didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he gave her a cold look and said, “~Your father is on his way, miss. I’m sure you two will have a lot to talk about.~”
Without warning, Kikuchi Noriko shot up, instantly awake, casting about for answer. She was alone on the couch, which was a good sign – her bedmates rarely took her sudden starts into wakefulness well. The room Noriko recognized as the back room of one of Takeshi’s clubs. She couldn’t remember much of the previous evening but it was easy enough to guess what all had happened – she’d ended up here after at least one other party, probably a few, but he must have gone home with some other girl and she’d eventually passed out back here, to wake alone and frightfully sober. Well, his having gone off on his own didn’t bother Noriko, but the sober was something to work on.
Unable to sit still any longer she sat up and swung her legs off the couch, setting them into her heels that one of the club staff had left next to her, then grabbed the Luis Vuitton bag that she’d been using as a pillow and started rifling through it.
“~Shit~,” she muttered as she found the innocuous pill case and shook it, then opened and dumped the last two into her hand. Well, with some sleeping pills this would control the buzz long enough for her to get more, and without another thought she knocked back the two pills then dropped the empty case back in as she stood up. Time to get going.
The sun was glaring down on Tokyo as she made her way out the back of the club and headed down the street. At the vending machine next to the Shinto shrine around the corner she got some water, scowling at the contents of her wallet before dropping it back into her bag. Running out of money again. Well, she had her old school uniform in her bag – time for a trip to Akihabara... Ugh. But the otaku perverts paid for her food, who was she to complain. Sighing, she turned towards the train station.
---
The pills were definitely starting to kick in by the time she’d made it to the station and as the train pulled up she shouldered her way past the people pouring out to sprawl onto a seat, ignoring the signs proclaiming this area to reserved for elderly and handicapped passengers. Leaning her head back against the window and proceeded to ignore the world.
She didn’t see the boy get on the train but she it couldn’t have been more than five stops later that the hairs on the back of her neck started prickling and she pried open a bleary eye to see him, standing at the door in his school uniform and staring at her. Her first thought was to dismiss him as just another unfortunate still stuck in the hell of juku and entrance exams, admiring her for not being a slave to the teachers, but something didn’t quite jell. She stared back at him for a few seconds until he blushed and looked away, then spent another few seconds considering him. Her mind was sluggish now, and she couldn’t figure out what it was about him that caught her interest. But then he looked back at her, squared his shoulders and moved down the aisle to stand in front of her.
“~Um... Kikuchi? Kikuchi Noriko? Do you remember me? We were in class together last year... I’m Chiba Junsuke.~”
Noriko stared at him as he began to speak, her eyes widening as she realized what he was saying. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad. Thank the gods Tokyo trains were fast. Already they were pulling into another station and Noriko stood up suddenly, forcing the boy to take a step back.
“~Sorry, Chiba, don’t remember you. Got to go.~” The words were rude and abrupt, and tumbled out of her mouth as she moved away from him. The doors opened she darted off the train, not even paying attention to where she was going and <I>definitely</I> not looking back to see what Chiba would do.
Noriko darted up the down the stairs into the train station, heading for the closest exit, and eagerly fed her ticket into the machine to get out, and rushed out onto the street. Damn her luck. And damn Chiba. What the hell was he doing out on the trains now. Shouldn’t he be at club practice, or studying, or some other stupid, time wasting thing.
As though conjured by her thoughts a voice called out behind her. “~Kikuchi! Kikuchi-san!~” Glancing back Nori saw the boy racing after her, and she scowled.
“~Leave me alone! Go away or I’ll scream!~” she shouted back, then turned and ran.
Unfortunately for her, in his school shoes and uniform, Chiba was much better off than she in her heels and short skirt. Even more unfortunately, the shouting had caught the attention of the men in the police box on the corner and, looking over her shoulder to see if the boy was catching up, she didn’t notice the police man step into her path and almost bowled him over.
“~What’s going on here?~” the policeman asked as, panting, Chiba pulled up to a stop.
Noriko didn’t even have time to say anything before the boy spoke up. “~Excuse me, officer, but this girl... We went to school together. She’s run away from home – her parents are terribly worried... Can you please help me?~”
---
Noriko sat and stared at her hands as the officer poked through her bag, face impassive as he pulled out her clothes, make-up and wallet. The box of sleeping pills, though, and the unmarked, empty pill canister did get a raised eyebrow, but the man didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he gave her a cold look and said, “~Your father is on his way, miss. I’m sure you two will have a lot to talk about.~”
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