Sharp-O's One-Shots! "A Matter of Memory" 05/01/24

[Sharp-O]

Standalone: An unlikely group is assembled by a mysterious third party.

The Gathering

-----Molly-----

“Hnnnngh… Did anyone catch the number of the twat driving that bus? I’m gonna report that wanker for negligent driving!” I spit venomously as I rise from my prone position. My head is killing me but I’m not bleeding, so that’s something. I blink several times before I realise that I’m not on the grey cracked pavement I was before.

I sit bolt up right on my knees and take in my strange new surroundings. It’s a stark black room, illuminated solely by light pouring from the cracks in the tiled floor. There’s other people here, I can tell that much but without my glasses I’m as good as blind…

“Ohaiyo.” A friendly voice says in Japanese as one of the figures holds out what appear to be my glasses. Japanese, eh? So I must be somewhere close to where I was, right? I graciously accept my glasses with a nod and slip them on before switching to my third language.

-----Shin-----

My newest companion is much friendlier than the other one, I must say. I offer my hand to the petite girl and ease her onto her prosthetic legs. They appear to be much more advanced than anything I’ve ever seen.

“Thank you… Wait, Shin!?” She beams, throwing her arms around my neck and planting a kiss on my cheek. The feeling is pleasant but the fact that she can see me and that she’s intimately familiar with me means that this is not the Molly Kapur that I know.

“Miss Kapur, while I do enjoy the attention, I believe you have me confused with someone else…” I blush slightly, something I was not aware I was capable of anymore. She steps back in shake, bringing her hands to her mouth.

“Omigosh, I’m so sorry! You just look like my friend and this is all so disorientating.” She mutters, blushing profusely.

“That’s quite alright. My name is Shin but I don’t think we have had the pleasure of meeting before.” I smile warmly and she responds with a quizzical expression. I chuckle softly and gesture to our compatriots.

“This may seem hard to believe but everyone here is someone you might know. But they may not be who you are personally acquainted with.” I explain. She looks at the rest of our bizarre little quintet, two of whom are still unconscious.

-----Lilly-----

What is with that guy? He’s too polite for this situation and then there’s the fact that I couldn’t sense him to begin with. It’s like he’s not even there…

“Miss Satou, this is Molly Kapur. She’s… a fellow member of Class 3-3.” He introduces the small British-Indian girl beside him with the same placid tone. Her name, her scent and her accent all tipped me off to her nationality.

“Nice to meet someone from the motherland.” I say in English with a slight Scottish accent, I uncross my arms and hold out my hand. She takes it nervously, quivering a little as the new surroundings dawn on her. I can feel her pulse racing. Poor lamb. I bring my other hand over hers and smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us out of here…”

“Th-thanks, Lilly.” She responds and I raise an eyebrow before laughing.

“I guess you know a Lilly too, huh? Please, call me Lills.” I squeeze her hand tight to reassure her.

“What was the last thing you remember?” I ask, reverting back to Japanese for Shin’s sake. He might give me the willies but we’re all in this together. Molly shuffles in place, a near silent whirr of gears emanating from her legs. Double amputee, micro gyro-stabilisers in her prosthetics. Sounds like some amazing tech. Lucky her.

“I stepped off the curb without looking… There was a bus… Then I woke up here.” Her voice shakes a little but I can tell this one’s got a brave soul. She’s British, of course she’s brave.

“Sounds like our experiences then. I was attacked from behind, woke up here…” I give the gist of my situation, no need to overwhelm the poor girl.

“I was walking through the halls at school when I… fell. I found myself here amongst the rest of you. Miss Satou was the first to wake.” Shin explains, he’s hiding something but we can worry about that later. One of the others stirs and I turn towards the noise.

-----Kenji-----

“Owww… What happened?” I grumble into the room and get to my feet gingerly. I rub my head as it throbs. “Ugh, what did that bastard Nakai do to me now?” I ask to no one in particular as I take in the darkened room around me.

“Oh… H-h-hello.” I stutter at the people crowded together a little more than fifty feet from me. A grey-haired student moves around a vaguely familiar blonde girl and an Indian student.

“Hello, my friend. Are you alright?” He asks, extending his hand. I take it and tug my scarf away from my face.

“Y-yeah, I think so… Where are we?” I ask, looking at the bizarre architecture. It’s almost… Alien.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that for you…” He says in a leading fashion.

“K-Kenji… Kenji Setou.” I smile weakly, casting my gaze down. “The last thing I remember was being pushed against a wall… I must’ve hit my head.”

“There’s a lot of that going around. I’m Shin Kyokan, by the way, this is Lilly Satou and Molly Kapur.” He gestures to the two girls and I bow deeply.

“It’s a p-pleasure to meet you both!” I declare a little too loudly to the strange women. This is crazy, that’s not my classmate Lilly, and I certainly don’t know the other two… Ohhhh, this isn’t good. What if they’re not like me? They’ll hate me, I just know it…

“Waaaah~ Kenjiiii, stop whining…” Oh, no… I quickly turn and gasp at who I find waking up beside where I was.

-----Shiina-----

I rub the sleep from my eyes and yawn loudly.

“Sh-Shiina! What are you doing here!?” Kenji asks, worried. I was just taking a na-- My eyes go wide and I scramble to my feet and grasp Kenji’s hand.

“Kenji, barrier!” I shoot him an order and he hesitates for a split-second before his eyes flash lavender. His protective bubble expands around us, knocking the grey-haired boy back several feet.

“Shin! Are you okay?” A young Indian girl asks in Japanese, rushing to her friend’s side.

“Molly? What happened to Shin?” The blonde calls out, her murky eyes searching in front of her frantically. Is she blind?

“I’m fine, Miss Satou! Just a misunderstanding, I’m sure.” The boy says with a small smile. “Isn’t that right, Mr Setou? We mean you know harm, I assure you.” He asks as he rises to his feet.

“What the hell happened?” The blonde barks and he places a hand on her shoulder.

“Like I said, nothing to worry about.”

“Sh-Shiina… I don’t think they want to hurt us… They seem just as confused as us.” Kenji stammers, his voice little more than a whisper. I pat his shoulder with my free hand and look at the trio outside.

“You guys wake up here too?” I ask, casting a cynical look at them all. Shin seems to take the initiative, stepping closer to Kenji’s barrier.

“We did. It appears we’ve been gathered here for some reason. Will you help us?” He tilts his head with a sincere smile. How is he so calm?

“Shiina… We should help.” Kenji looks to me with his kind eyes and they flash lavender again, the barrier’s hexagonal sections shrinking away from each other and vanishing into the ether.

“Thank you, Mr Setou.” Shin places his hands behind his back and bows slightly.

“H-how did you do that?” Molly asks and I furrow my brow.

“What do you mean? It’s his element.”

She looks none the wiser, the Satou girl is still frowning and Shin raises a quizzical eyebrow.

“Fascinating, so you both possess special abilities?” He asks.

“Yeah, everyone at Yamaku does.” Kenji answers.

“Not where I come from.” Shin answers. “Hmmm. Miss Kapur, do you have anything to share with us?” He looks back at the Indian girl and she looks sheepish.

“Y-Yeah… Though I’m the only one who’s that kind of special at my Yamaku.” She looks down, stroking her left braid nervously.

“And Miss Satou… Correct me if I’m wrong, but you possess an uncanny spatial awareness?”

“Mostly… I still have my blind spots though.” She cocks her head towards the sound of Shin’s voice. She really is blind.

“Interesting…” He mutters to himself as the light pouring from between the floor tiles increases until my vision flashes white.

“What’s going on?” Miss Satou calls out as Molly whimpers.

“A blinding light, Lilly!”

Lilly? Lilly Satou!? As in… Oh.

The light vanishes and we all look around disoriented. I see vaguely see Lilly move to herd us together and then stands apart, swaying her head from side to side.

“That’s… That’s just not possible…” She mutters and takes a long, deep inhale through her nose. “This place shouldn’t be here…”

The light fades and my senses are soon overwhelmed by new sights and smells.

“Oh my…” Shin gasps, turning and taking in the new environment.

“This is… The Shanghai…” Kenji’s jaw drops as he removes his glasses.

“And the library. Both spaces merged into one. I like it.” Shin seems a little too at home with all this weirdness.

“I’m glad you approve! I wanted to make this place as welcoming as possible for you guys.” A cheery familiar voice announces. I grip Kenji’s hand tight and scan the environment for the source.

“Shiina, it’s okay!” He grins. “It’s… Her.” I follow his line of sight to the woman approaching from behind the counter.

“Hello, everyone! Welcome to The Nexus! Please take a seat.” The young woman curtsies with her cardigan before gesturing at the centre of the room, a flash of light filling my vision again before a round table and several comfy chairs appear like magic. It’s arranged neatly with drinks for all of us as well as a variety of sweet and savoury snacks.

“Quite the welcome, Yuuko. I take it you are the one who summoned us?” Shin asks, the first to take a seat at the table. We all follow his lead, a little more cautiously though.

“Top marks, Shin! I’m so sorry for the inconvenience but rest assured, I’m not some evil witch here to gobble you all up!” She giggles at her own joke and Shin chuckles, the rest of us looking at each other nervously.

“Tough crowd. Anyway, each of your drinks are personalised to your preferences, so please enjoy!” She bows like the waitress Kenji and I once knew and her demeanour seems to put everyone at ease.

“I will have to regretfully decline, Yuuko.” Shin says as we all take sips of our drinks. Oh god, is it poison? Why didn’t you warn us, you shithead!

“Don’t worry, Shin… I’ve made yours special! I know you’ve always wanted to try the Shanghai’s special blend.” She winks and he cautiously takes the mug in front of him, bringing it to his lips and taking a tentative sip.

-----Shin-----

Oh my word… I take the mug away from my lips and then look down my body. My eyes dart to Yuuko and she nods enthusiastically. I grip the mug with both hands and gulp the delicious coffee down. I haven’t done this in so long. It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted.

I breathe a contented sigh and my companions glance at me with weird looks. Heh, I guess I overreacted a tad. I sheepishly offer my mug to Yuuko.

“If I may?”

“Have as much as you want!” She snaps her fingers and the mug is refilled.

“Thank you… Though all these… theatrics make me question why we’ve been gathered here. I don’t believe it’s just for tea and crumpets.” I place the mug down and Molly looks over to me with a buttered crumpet half-stuffed into her mouth.

“Very astute, Shin! I’ll start with the obvious question: This is The Nexus, a multiversal Lagrange point. Simply put, a way station at the crossroads to parallel worlds. As for the why…” Yuuko’s shoulders slump a little and I lean in, holding my hands together as I rest my elbows on the table.

“I need your help.”

[Hesmiyu]

The Gathering - snipped -

Not sure if it is because I'm trying to read this at 2am while trying to sleep, but I'm confused I think?

[Sharp-O]

Not sure if it is because I'm trying to read this at 2am while trying to sleep, but I'm confused I think?

I had the idea for a more sci-fi fantasy story and thought an Exiles/Sliders/Kamen Rider Decade team of KS characters might be cool to play with.

[brythain]

Not sure if it is because I'm trying to read this at 2am while trying to sleep, but I'm confused I think?

I had the idea for a more sci-fi fantasy story and thought an Exiles/Sliders/Kamen Rider Decade team of KS characters might be cool to play with.

That's not a one-shot! That's a prequel of some sort. No fair!

[Sharp-O]

That's not a one-shot! That's a prequel of some sort. No fair!

Well I thought of throwing the reader in at the deep-end but it still required set-up and I kind of went overboard. Think the idea has legs?

[brythain]

That's not a one-shot! That's a prequel of some sort. No fair!

Well I thought of throwing the reader in at the deep-end but it still required set-up and I kind of went overboard. Think the idea has legs?

I think it requires a lot more careful set-up and planning if you're going to start with such a big idea. I know whereof I speak.

[Sharp-O]

Agreed, this may be my post Monomyth project but I have plenty of ideas jotted down for this, just needs some developing.

[Alpacalypse]

Wait. Sci-fi/fantasy Yamaku adventure starring Lilly, Kenji, Misha, Molly and That-Guy-Who-Replaced-Lelouche?

Count me in!

[Sharp-O]

Thought I'd go with an oddball cast, especially Shin from Foregone Conclusion, a pre-crazy Kenji and a brunette Shiina. I've already knocked together some character assets but I think I'm not completely happy with all of them. Kenji, Shin and Lilly especially need some special attention, just to get them where I want them. Here's a sneak peek at how they look so far.

[Hoitash]

Now that's just lovely.

And it's always nice to see brunette Misha -or Misha in general, really

[AntonSlavik020]

It's definitely an interesting cast you've assembled. Looking forward to more of this.

[Sharp-O]

I look forward to writing more of this

[Sharp-O]

Stranger than Fanfiction

~~~~Taro~~~~

“Move your ass, Akio!” I call out as I hold the doors to the boys’ dorms open. This torrential downpour came out of nowhere and caught us both unawares. I made a mad dash for the dorms but Akio is stuck in his fastest limp, getting wetter and wetter as he pushes onwards through mother nature’s worst, cursing as he goes.

He pushes past me rather rudely and the halls are filled with the sound of wet slapping and squelching of our sodden shoes. I cast a glance at my red-haired friends, his fringe dripping rapidly.

“We look like we took a dip in the pool.” I comment and the faintest smile cracks the veneer of the angry scowl he was wearing.

“I’m gonna have to add this to the laundry I was already doing.” He says, peeling the soaked material of his uniform shirt away from his chest only for it to stay as a point.

We laugh at the silliness of it and make our way to our rooms.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I strip down to my boxer briefs and throw the drenched uniform into my almost full hamper. Guess I’ll have to do my laundry today too. Good thing there’s nothing else going on today.

“Taro! Lemme in, man!” Akio desperately pleads through the door along with chorus of rapid knocks. I slide the door open and he bolts past me into the room. I close the door and look back at Akio. He stands, down to his briefs with one arm covering his bare chest and the other covering his junk, shivering like a leaf.

“C-can I borrow a towel, man? I forgot that all mine are in the laundry room and I daren’t go down there like this…” He admits, his gaze not quite meeting mine.

I laugh and slide open my wardrobe, pulling two fresh towels out of the plastic container at the bottom. I throw one over my shoulders and hand the other one to Akio who cloaks it around him like a cape.

“Th-thanks, man.” He gives me a small smile and starts to rub his arms rapidly to dry his damp skin.

“You should go jump in the shower, man. Don’t want you catching a cold.” I offer and he laughs.

“You’re not going to share your body warmth with me? What kind of friend are you?” He smirks as he starts towelling his hair. As his head disappears in the towel, I take the opportunity to wrap the towel around my waist and collect my basket of shower supplies.

“C’mon, man. I’m going for one anyway.” I say and he peeks out from under the white towel with a smile.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

~~~~Akio~~~~

Taro was right, this shower feels great… Then again, he’s always right. This is the most time we’ve spent together since I drunkenly kissed him and despite the fact that I’ve said I like him, he’s hasn’t shied away from me. If anything, he’s gotten closer.

Is that a sign? I mean, we’re both unattached young guys and he hasn’t exactly spurned my affection…

“Ah, crap…” Taro says, bringing me out of my reverie.

“You okay?” I ask, through the cubicle wall.

“Yeah, just realised I forgot my back scrubber…” He sighs. Well, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help him out? I shut off my shower and take a peek into the bathroom before sneaking to the next cubicle and sliding in there.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Taro asks, looking over his broad shoulder at me. He keeps his gaze fixed on my face as I lean past and grab his shower gel.

“I’m just gonna scrub your back for ya, buddy!” I grin as I lather up my hands. He sighs heavily but makes no comment in protest so I get to work, gliding my hands up and down his back.

Keep it together, Akio. So what if you’re in a hot, soapy shower with the guy you like? There’s no need to get worked up. Just do his back and go back to your cu-- Man, his shoulder muscles are so tense. Is that because of me? I begin massaging Taro’s shoulders and he lolls his neck around.

“That feels fantastic…” He sighs and I smile, doubling my effort. I lean into it and he groans more.

“Like that, big guy?” I ask with a smirk and he nods, not looking back at me. I slide my hands down his back and he visibly shivers at my touch. My eyes follow his back down to his ass and I get a devilish thought. I step closer and wrap my arms around his chest from behind.

“A-Akio? What are you doing?” He chuckles nervously and my soapy hands begin to wash his chest and stomach.

“Just making sure you’re all clean, man.” I laugh. “Trust me.” I use the opportunity to explore his body and it feels as plush as I expected though there’s a raw strength running through his body. Like he’s built of steel girders wrapped in marshmallow. I run my hand lower down his belly and find something…

“A-Akio, wait, I’m…”

… Hard. Oh my god… He’s rock solid. Thick too…

“Taro…” I breathe heavily as I take hold of him firmly and he looks back at me with big eyes.

“W-what are you…?” He asks, his voice quivering and nervous. It’s cute to be the one in control for once. To be the authority for him. I give him a wicked grin as I whisper into his ear.

“I’m just going to give you a helping hand…”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

~~~~Suzu~~~~

I look up from the page to find Miki rolling around on the floor in hysterics. Molly sits beside me idly flicking through my other notebook, Ritsu looks unsure whether or not she should be laughing too and Hana is hiding in her hair, what little of her face I can see is scarlet.

“C’mon, Miki! I was just getting to the good bit!” I whine and she sits up, wheezing.

“Good bit? I’m sorry, Suzu but did you really write that garbage?”

“It’s not garbage! It’s erotic fiction!”

“It’s doujin love trash and you know it!” She cackles and I snort a little in amusement. Yeah, it’s not exactly award-winning material, is it?

“Seriously, have you wrote stuff like this for all of us?” Ritsu asks with a smirk. I really wish she hadn’t gone digging around in my stuff now…

“N-no! And it’s not really about you guys, I just find it easier to work with characters and personalities I know…” I admit. I’m not a great writer, I couldn’t flesh out existing characters so I just use reality as a basis.

“F-for what it’s w-worth… I thought it was pretty g-good as fanfiction goes…” A meek little voice says and I smile at Hanako.

“Thank you, Hana! I knew you would at least appreciate the narrative and the interaction between the characters.”

“Characters? You wrote about Taro and Akio! Banging in the showers, no less!” Miki roars and Ritsu joins in, both giggling profusely. At least they’re laughing and not angry…

“What’s going on in here then?” A voice calls from the door and we all look to find Akio and Taro standing at my doorway, both soaked. I quickly glance out my window to see that it had indeed started raining. We all share a look and begin giggling.

“Ooookay, so secret girl things I take it?” Akio continues before setting eyes on his girlfriend. “Hana, could I borrow a towel off you? I don’t want to catch a cold.”

Hana nods rapidly and rises from her kneeling position just as quickly, rushing towards the door. She grabs Akio’s hand and quickly leads him away without so much as a goodbye.

“Nice work, Suzu! You broke Hanako.” Miki smirks at me and I hold my hands up in protest.

“Given the smile she just gave him, I think she’s going to break Akio.” Taro mutters, his eyes full of concern for his friend. Ritsu hops onto her feet and kisses the man-mountain on the cheek.

“C’mon you, you should get out of those wet clothes…” She purrs in a very unsubtle way. He gulps and gives the rest of us a wave as she drags him towards her room.

“I guess I should head off too…” Miki groans, getting up and walking towards the door. “Be careful, Molly. This one is likely to have something about you in there too!” She laughs, closing the door behind her. I look at the girl sitting next to me as she flicks through the pages of my other notebook.

“You’ve been awfully quiet about all this.” I say and Molly finally looks up. It’s only when the light hits her face that I can tell how badly she’s blushing.

“Sorry… I was just skimming through these. You’ve got all sorts in here… Tariki, Akisu, Hanaro, Tarolly… You could have done better with that pairing to be honest, but there’s one glaring omission.” I raise an eyebrow at her curious statement.

“There’s nothing about us.” She smirks and I feel my cheeks warm.

“Well the adventures of Sully are kind of for our eyes only.” I give her a devilish grin as I creep towards her.

“Sully? Not Mozu? Wait, wait, gimme a sec, I’ll think of somMMMmmmm.” Her dedication to her craft is silenced as our lips meet, becoming a soft moan as we melt into each others arms.

I don’t care what our name is, what matters is that we work.

[swampie2]

“We look like a took a dip in the pool.”

Suuuzuuuu, errooors

I was wondering why that first part was a little off.

Adorable one-shot, I wonder what else Suzu has lurking in her little book of secrets. Nice to dust off the one-shots thread as well!

[Sharp-O]

“We look like a took a dip in the pool.”

Suuuzuuuu, errooors

Yes... Any and all errors are entirely the fault of Suzu and not me...

Adorable one-shot, I wonder what else Suzu has lurking in her little book of secrets. Nice to dust off the one-shots thread as well!

Definitely. As I have it planned now, there's going to be two more one-shots and then Monomyth's finale plus the Mirai chapter(s)

THEN back to Fixers