Sunset ^beta

Chapter Text

The eyelids of the body open, groggily. There is a haziness in the mind, a lack of thoughts and a slightly thundering pain in the head; it is consistent in an annoying kind of way. The more the time tickles by, the more conscious it starts to spread from the skull to the skin. It hurts and is the only thing that she knows. Uh, she? Hold on—

She doesn't have a clue why, but the moment she can pierce things together, there’s this weird nagging feeling inside her body that’s saying: something's wrong. Somehow, the mind is sure of her gender: she is a woman. But her age? Who is she? How did she get into this? Nothing comes, not even a fleeting thought, even less her own name. 

While her brain is working itself into an overdrive, her eyes are staring seeingless at the dark azured-sky. The feeling of the soft soil against her skin is a clue that her body is lying in the ground — well, she thinks it’s the earth. Since her memories are just a long blank, she can't be so sure. It’s weird, somehow knowing and not knowing something. The air that enters her lungs is crisp and the humid ground under her fingers is distracting. Does she even want to know how she got here…? Looking at the lack of twinkling stars, she frowns. There’s no shining moon either, only a musky darkness; as if a veil is hiding the light of the night from the people — like her brain is concealing her identity from herself, for whatever reason it found necessary. Thus, she has no idea of where she even is or what she should do. Was she in danger before this?

Why was that her first hypothesis? 

Still confused, and starting to feel the frustration building in her chest alongside the slightly subtle pain in her head, her eyes wandered, searching. Her attention gets caught by the silky turquoise color, a clue of an objective that slowly transforms into the hair of a woman that was close to her. She can’t see her face, however she does make notice of the two bear ears on top of the other’s head — from the way she didn’t find it weird, it was probably a normal sight. Now that she could somewhat ignore the pain, she could hear a whining sound too. Was the bear-woman crying? For what reason? Did they know each other? Her chest was feeling stuffy while looking at the woman, so maybe they did. The big question was: how much did they know of each other?

Her fingers slowly closed into the soil, crumbs of dirt getting under her nails and making her frown, uncomfortable. She needed to say something. Her tongue got out of her mouth, tracing her lips cautiously in preparation for it. Anything would be a good start. Maybe. She breathed in, still unsure of what she would talk about, but decided to do it anyway. Perhaps she should ask about what happened? It seemed like the best starting point.

“Kureha-san, she’s awake”, a mature voice made the turquoise woman tension her shoulders, making her eyes realize that what was obstructing her from seeing part of the other’s face was the hands there. The bear-woman — Kureha, it seems — lifted her head while taking her palms away from her eyes, looking for a few moments in the direction of where the sound came before turning her face in the direction of her body.

Oh, her eyes were the same colour as her hair. No, it was closer to emerald instead of being in the spectrum between green and blue. Seeing the tearful orbs and the slightly flushed cheeks was making her chest feel uncomfortable; the beats of her heart were accelerated in a way that was paining her, the pressure inside not helping her to breathe. It’s like there is an invisible bind grounding her there. She wanted to look away, to see who was the other person who pointed that she was awake and to look more of her surroundings. But she couldn’t. She was stuck seeing the tears accumulating in the emerald eyes until it started to drop into her face, the tremble of the lips that were dry and hear the sniffles that were made by this Kureha. 

“Hi-Hiromi-sama…” The soft voice almost didn’t get to her ears, that was how small it was. A fleety feeling, almost instinctual, told her that this was her name. It was the same sureness that made her think of herself as a woman, since the name didn’t make her remember anything. Her mind was still just an empty space being broken by the pain coming from her head and chest. She saw the other bite her lips, making a hurt expression, before putting her hands back again on her face. Hum, this didn’t look good.

“Kureha-chan, we will need to move her to a safe place.” A more higher-tuned voice than the first one made itself known, a hand appearing on one of the bear-woman's shoulders. This simple action was enough for making her look at the new person: a silver-haired woman, with a feline rounded ear on top of her head, who was sending Kureha a soft look even if she wasn’t seeing it. By the way she referred to herself and the distrustful gaze she sent her way, it was very obvious that she — Hiromi — was not part of this trio…? 

“Takane-chan, can you call Himeka-chan and Akari-chan so we can move her?” The feline-woman turned to the other side, a movement that was followed by her eyes, both of them looking in the direction of the third woman. The first thing that grabbed Hiromi’s attention was the horns protruding from the sides of Takane’s head, a little above her deer-ears, mixed with her flaxen colored hair. It was such a different visual, and even so, it still didn’t surprise her. What actually made her frown was the dark mark that seemed to have blossomed in her shirt. 

“I already did”, was the answer the horned-woman gave, sending a tiny smile in the direction of the feline-woman. Her amethyst eyes had a playful light on, one that clashed in a nice manner with her serious and relaxed demeanour. Tilting her head in a subtle gesture, the look that Takane sent to her was almost apathetic in comparison, “Don’t worry Kanaho. Everything will be fine.”

After saying that, she sent another pleasing smile to her… friend's? way. They seemed close, but Hiromi wasn’t sure what relationship any of the three women had between each other. Or worse, between them and herself. From the little she heard and saw, she could suspect that she wasn’t liked by the others — and that she did something to them. She doubted she would feel so much pressure in her chest if she was the victim here. It was a suffocating feeling, one that made her feel bad; if only she knew what she did. By now, she was starting to get a little scared to discover what it was.

Given the tension that was dominating the women, Hiromi was quite sure it was better not to ask. She had a strong feeling that they would not believe her if she said anything about her situation. Not wanting to keep watching them exchanging meaningful looks and trying to avoid glancing at the curled up bear-woman, she brought her eyes back to the empty sky. In a strange mode, looking at the lightless dark-azured space above her was somewhat comforting. There was at least one thing that was as lost as her, without the details it fills it with meaning — like her, that has nothing but a name and a body, with only some vague feelings to guide herself in this world that seem as new and confusing as it would be for a very young kid.

As she enjoyed the view, a heavy pull was trying to make her eyelids close again. Fighting it was useless; not only she didn’t wish to talk with the others, she could also hear new voices coming closer to her body. The pain in her head and chest was dulled, but still present. Since there was nothing Hiromi could do now — not that she would know, given her situation —, she let herself be guided by the gentle hands of sleep into her consciousness. Perhaps things would make more sense once she awoke again.

Chapter Text

Like the first time, her eyelids opened, groggily. Her vision was a little blurry, only a deformed whiteness was being captured by her eyes. The ears that were on her head were twitching, trying to capture any sound inside the room she was in. Hiromi almost couldn’t feel the pain on her body or head; it was so subdued that it was as if she wasn’t even hurt. Blinking, she looked around herself, still unsure of where she was or what she was supposed to do. Bringing her hands close to her face, it was possible to see, more clearly than before, that there was still dirt under her nails — that made her scrunch her nose in disgust. It was a good thing she was not feeling it, the sensation of having something there made her uncomfortable enough to distract her from other things. 

Sighing, Hiromi put her palms in the blanket over her body. It was kinda rugged, not the best texture to touch, and it was thin, it made her doubt it would help her keep warm when necessary. This did give her certainty that she wasn’t liked by the people that brought her to this place — wherever it was. At least she didn’t need to worry about where she would stay. It was much better to be in a not-so comfortable place than to be in the middle of the… Forest? Village? Well, in the middle of nature as she was before. If only she had any clue as to why she was even there… Maybe she would have an idea of what she could say to the women who kind of helped her.

Muffled sounds were caught up by her ears, which twitched once, that tensed up on her head. It was a little confusing to be aware of this kind of movement, something she wasn’t when she first woke up, however, it was also satisfying to know it. It felt more like she was, really, into her body, as weird as it was. The noise was getting louder, meaning that the people were getting closer to her room. It didn’t take long before the door in front of her bed was sliding softly, revealing two women that Hiromi was sure she didn’t see before.

“Sadamori, you need to be quieter!” The lavender-haired one lightly scolded, her funnel-shaped ears on top of her head quivering at every little sound behind her. The pink-haired woman beside her sputtered, grumbling about something, her bunny ears standing up along with her annoyance at the other. Giggling could be heard behind them, but neither paid attention to it. “This is the patients section!”

She made a playful hissing sound, putting an emphasis on her argument for the other to silence.

“That’s what I am trying to tell you—!” The Sadamori one countered with intensity, a strong fire in her eyes that all but vanished once she glanced in Hiromi’s direction, freezing momentany when she realized that the “patient” wasn’t sleeping. The noise that was building up to this room quietened, giving place to a subtle tension. The surprised azured eyes hardened, making a combative look appear on her baby face; just her change in expression seemed to settle the mood, since the other woman, while having a relaxed smile on her lips, also sent an elusive wary gaze to Hiromi. “You’re awake, then.”

She blinked, not having expected this kind of reaction from the bunny-woman, before nodding slowly. The two entered the room, being followed by Kanaho — who sent her a cautious glance —, Kureha — who avoided her eyes, something that made a pressure hold tightly into her chest — and Takane — who barely looked into her direction before laying her arm on the wall closer to the door. And lastly, a woman with umber feathers on her skin, where the arm wasn’t covered by the lab coat, and hair also entered the room after closing the door. 

“I still don’t agree with this interrogation”, the woman with feathers said, looking annoyed in the direction of the others, “Which means you will ask anything you want to know while I am here.”

An harmony of agreeing sounds ressounded into the room, though not all of them seemed to be pleased with it. Sadamori had a disgruntled expression on her face while Takane didn’t seem to care. The one with lavender hair looked like she wasn’t paying attention to what she was agreeing on, too busy looking at the notebook in her hands. Only Kureha and Kanaho appeared serious, both seeming determined to do what they needed to.

“Great.” The apparent doctor replied, a little sarcasm in her words. “Now to work. Abiko-san, do you feel any pain now?”

Hiromi frowned. What was that? Abiko? She felt it was part of her name, but she wasn’t sure anymore. What was the order? The feathered-woman lifted her clipboard, clicking her pen and ready to fill the paper with her answer. A little hesitant, she opened her lips with a soundless gasp, before closing it again and just shaking her head weakly. 

“No, I don’t…” Her own voice sounded raspy, which made the lab-coated woman send a look into the direction of the others, until one of them grabbed a glass of water and gave it to her. Surprisingly, it was Sadamori who did it, with a sour expression on her face. She helped Hiromi drink the cool liquid, which refreshed her throat and made her feel a little more alive then she was before. “I don’t really feel the pain, it’s pretty dulled now.”

Contrary to what she expected, the bunny-eared woman stayed by her side, with the glass still in her hands. From the way Sadamori was analysing her, it wasn't because she wanted to give support. Turning to look at the woman with feathers, she saw her writing in her clipboard, nodding.

“That’s good, it means the remedy is taking effect”, she said, lifting her black colored eyes to stare at Hiromi, “Any other symptom you are feeling? Since you were brought here unconscious, we could only heal and treat what was external. Anything other than that is impossible if we can't talk with the patient, since the others also didn't know if you had any internal wounds.” 

Her eyelids opened slightly with surprise — this was her chance! Her fingers closed, with a part of the rugged sheet between it and her palms, holding it tightly. Breathing in, she gave a deliberate nod.

“I… I have no idea what happened.” Everyone inside the room looked at her strangely, but only the doctor didn't seem suspicious of what she said. Ignoring the negative stares, she kept going, “I also don't know…? Or should I say remember, since it seems like you do know me?”

The tension, that was once gone, came back with her words. Her heart was thundering on her chest, beating fast enough to hurt again, now for another reason. It was very obvious that the others wanted to say anything to counter her, however Hiromi didn't stop, not wanting to keep being confused and lost any second more. She was frustrated that only she didn't know what was happening and she was sure this wasn't even a full day with her being like this.

Closing her eyelids stubbornly to be embraced by the dark instead of confronting the doubtful looks of strangers, she finished with a:

“Well, I have no idea who any of you are. Much less where I am.” Her throat was dry once more, not from disuse, but by nervousness. She was somewhat comforted by having her hands holding onto the sheet strongly, since her trembling fingers could be hidden by it. Trying to gather courage, she breathed in again, getting ready to open her eyes—

“You’re lying!” A scream startled her enough that her vision was once again met with wary expressions, faces that she didn't try to observe since the loud accusation from her side was more dangerous. Sadamori was the one who had her eyelids closed now, a frown in her brows and two fists at her side, as if she was trying to hold something inside herself: be it a feeling or an attack, Hiromi had no way of knowing. Her bunny ears were standing once more, so rigid that it appeared to be able to break if anyone just tried to smooth it over her head gently. “You can't just do that—! And then say you don't remember! You’re lying—!”

“Sadamori…” The lavender haired woman murmured, having lifted her head from the notebook on her lap to send a worried glance at the other, but it seemed she wasn't heard.

While the pressure on her chest was building, making it difficult to breath and the others voice started to mix unpleasantly, frustration — at not understand what was happening — started to mingle with guilt — that was the name of the emotion that stabbed a ton of needles into her heart, she realized — in a suffocating way. Her vision started to get blurry and the only thing grounding her in that room was the tingling pain coming from her palms.

“...Iko-san. Abiko-san.” 

Someone was calling her. She… thinks they’re calling her. The noise seemed muffled, less higher than before. She could still feel an ache on her hands; both in her skin and on her fingers… Was she pressing her nails on it again? Was… was that a habit she had? She could feel something pressed on her head. Ah, it was her ears. Blinking slowly, Hiromi lifted her trembling ears from her hair, now hearing the sounds more clearly.

“Abiko-san, are you with me now?” The voice, while being soft, was uttered in a very tired tune. Breathing in hesitantly, she tried, again, to gather courage; her heart was still pulsing rapidly, being so close to get out of her chest and run away from whatever place this was. She felt herself nod, timidly, yet it was like her body wasn't as well attached to her mind as before. “Keep breathing slowly, Abiko-san. I put them outside of the room, they can't do anything to you right now.”

Against what she expected, hearing that actually did help her feel more calm. With the realisation came a bitter taste that settled itself on the back of her tongue, making her nauseous. Biting her lower lip, she concentrated on the feeling of her chest going up and down consistently, doing her best to follow the other instructions. The moment she decided she was ready, Hiromi opened her eyelids, letting her view be fulfilled by the feathered-woman.

“What…” She coughed at the itchiness that suddenly took hold of her throat. A glass of water entered her field of vision not much longer, which she accepted, not hesitating to take a careful sip. When the tingling got less annoying, she tried once more, “What even happened…?”

Brown eyes looked at her, tensely. A sigh was heard, probably from exhaustion, and then the doctor gave her a half hearted bow.

“Name is Imai Mitomi”, she said, going back to her profissional posture, “Better to start with this. Your name, which I assume you would like to know, is Abiko Hiromi.”

Annoyingly, knowing the name of the other did not jostle any memory in her mind. It did, however, make her feel more comfortable in the room, since now she was getting somewhere and knew how to address the other. Realizing the other was staring at her, she nodded, in a sign she was following the words that were being said.

“I don't really know what happened between you and the Gran Epple Squad — this is the name of the group that is outside the door, by the way —, since I only stay in the infirmary and the labs.” Imai continued to explain, her thumb caressing the pressed tip of the pen, thankfully not clicking it while she was talking. “But I do know that you grabbed a mission with them and that you went after an originum monster by yourself, is the reason you are here, after all.”

Horimi blinked, utterly confused. A heavy feeling was still pressing itself inside her chest, fueling the lingering doubt that maybe she was still dreaming after waking up the first time. Besides a name, nothing was making sense for her.

“... A what monster…?” She asked, feeling her ears trembling slightly. The feathered-woman stopped at her question, tensing, before giving her a blank look.

“How much did you forget?” Imai retorted, seeming, for the first time, unbelieving in her words. Frowning at the doctor, she opened her lips to answer, but couldn't even get a sound out. “Of course you didn't just forget your identity. I should have started with this question.”

Her heart started to rise the beatings it did, growing awfully uncomfortable inside her body. Instead of calming her, it seemed like the doctor was going to put her into an anxious state again.

“Are you sure you’re a doctor?” Hiromi couldn’t help, but ask, a little peeved at the way the other was acting. She had yet to give back the glass, which she was still holding weakly on her hands, the only thing stopping her hands from trembling. 

“Never said I was”, is the answer she received, one that did not help her into becoming more relaxed, “I’m a healer. We’re lacking in doctors here. But that's not what's important. How much do you know?”

She failed to see how that wasn’t important, however, since Imai was the only one that could aid her, it was better to follow along for now. Sighing tiredly, she ignored the way her stomach was churning.

“For now?,” Hiromi started, licking her lips, “Only my name.”

The healer hummed, writing something on the paper, probably her answer.

“Well, that’s problematic.” She frowned at this, but instead of saying something, she brought the glass close to her mouth, taking a careful sip. “It’s also ridiculously convenient too.”

At that, it was impossible not to send a glare in Imai's way, who wasn’t looking in her direction. Her brown eyes were focused at the clipboard, tapping the nib of the pen softly into the paper.

“After all, you’re being accused of treason and attempted murder by the Gran Epple Squad.”