2018-06-13 - LOTUS AWAKENING: Eri Shimanouchi

Title: LOTUS AWAKENING: Eri Shimanouchi
Summary: Eri Shimanouchi wakes up...
Who: Eri Shimanouchi
Where: Home??? Streets of ??? Kaname Household???
OOC - IC Date: 2018-06-13 - April 25th, 2015

The first thing she noticed was the blanket. Soft and fluffy like a cloud - it's mere feeling bringing a sense of warm nostalgia. In this half-sensate place between waking and oblivion she didn't want to feel anything else. The warm light upon her face was reflexively smothered by her arm shifting that blanket. And then the alarm clock blared - and she groped blindly to silence it.

All was bliss again.

And then her door opened. The floor pounded like there was a stampede in the making as a shape flew through the air. A defensive yelp as the shape tangled up with the one on the bed and - "ERI! ERI!"

"Mikoto...?" It calmed her down instantly. "Oh I must have stayed over... I was just so tired last night..."

Instead of the expected reaction, Mikoto straightened out to arm's length while kneeling over her. "Eri's late for breakfast! Up! Up!" The other girl blinked her eyes owlishly in lack of expectations "Eh?"

Her reach for her glasses was slow - tentative, as if fearful of what she might see with finer detail. as Mikoto stepped off her and ran out the door - "Come on! Mai's making hotcakes!" - she put them on her face, and did a double take in shock. The stuffed animals on the bed. The Ghibli posters on the wall. The floral motif wall hangings, the laptop covered in stickers... even her flourishing window garden that was hidden in the sun's glare behind her curtains. And it was so clean! Like she had time to actually clean it. She hadn't seen this room in nearly... two years...

That couldn't be right. It was like she'd never left.

Climbing up to sit on the side of the bed, she took stock of her memories. And yet with every passing moment it felt more like one long extended nightmare. Forcing herself to stand, she walked over to the window and slid open the curtains. Taking a small watering can off to the side, she sprinkled them lightly on the pansies. "Ohayo." After a moment she allowed herself to smile as her fingers thumbed a leaf, pleased with its progress. "Looks like it's going to be a good day for all of us."

-=-=-

Tadamasa Shimanouchi resented wearing glasses to read the newspaper - but it was a sign of reaching middle age. As the scent of hotcakes became overwhelming though he started to grumble, "I just don't see what's wrong with Natto on rice." Mai Tokiha who was currently flipping on the griddle rolled her eyes, "Hey - don't we go through this every morning? You should accept that you've been overruled!" "What happened to the man being the lord of his own castle?"

Mai Tokiha answered without missing a beat, "Went the way of feudalism. And you should know better than anyone that Mikoto's stomach has veto powers." Mikoto Minagi who was already munching happily answered, "Yep!" Whereas Takumi Tokiha smiled behind his hand.

Putting down the newspaper he glared as part of the morning ritual, "And every day you make me regret taking you three in." "You couldn't get along without us and you know it. Now are you going to have more or not?" "No. I'm expected at Camp Asaka. I don't want to get there with my belly too full." "Suit yourself."

Eri Shimanouchi finally made her appearance down the stairs in her middle school uniform, her glance to the man at the table furtive - like she was a little wary of his presence. "There you are!" Mai pronounced as she plated the last hotcakes and slid it in front of Eri's spot, "Sleeping in. A cunning strategy to evade the question of whether you're going to accept your latest love confession." Mai pointed her spatula at Eri, "But you failed to account for my own craftiness. All I had to do was tell Mikoto - no breakfast until Eri-chan is up to tell us all about it." Tadamasa looked like he was actually paying attention, "What's this now about a love confession?"

Totally startled into red-cheeked embarrassment, she stammered something unintelligible. It's strange to even think of someone confessing to her - but she vaguely remembers someone doing it. A lot of someone's even. This time it was a letter in her shoelocker. But the only person she told about it is...

"Takumi! You traitor!" Takumi hunched down but fired back, "It's too much to expect me to keep that from my big sister!" And Mai followed up on it. "You underestimate how far I'll go to look outyou're your best interests Eri-chan! You know you're like a sister to me! So - what's the verdict? This guy any good?" Tadamasa eyed her, "Letter or in person?" Eri answered after a moment. "Letter." He raised the paper again as if this wasn't worth his time, "He's not good enough for you then. Just reject it outright." Mai rolled her eyes, "Well that's one opinion. But not the most important one. What do you think Eri-chan?"

"Mmmm..." Eri still looked a little embarrassed, but after cutting into her hotcakes and taking a bite of the warm gooey goodness... the question hung in the air for a while - as she cast a single fearful glance towards the man with a newspaper in front of his face. As if the wrong answer might end this happy reverie any second. After a moment's thought she smiled. "... maybe I'll consider it."

The uproar that spread throughout the room was worth the provocation. As it turned out - beyond some grumbling... all was well. An outcome that felt less shocking by the second.

As Eri Shimanouchi left a heartbeat after the trio, she passed by the two shrines. One for the Shimanouchis and one for the Tokihas... the two families united by mutual tragedy and made stronger by it - the family joke that they picked up their own lucky cat on the way. She gave her father one last glance as if expecting...

She doesn't know what she was expecting. All of those fears just felt irrational as she hiked up her bag and followed them out the door. "Hey wait up!" As she caught up - the teasing anew became relentless... but all she could do is smile.

BGM Outtro for Walking to School: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccQ2igjj6cE

-=-=-

"See you later Mikoto!" Waving one last time at the girl with the shouldered golf bag, she broke off in another direction. It was D&D Night at the Kaname household and she wasn't about to miss the start of Madoka's new campaign. All the same... she hadn't finalized her character sheet. It was still blank of everything, even a class and a name. She knew Madoka would help her out with it if she asked but... still.

Strolling by the park - there was a girl with her hair in golden ringlets sitting on a bench as children played - reading a book. There was an aura of familiarity to her... but after a moment she kept on walking, distracted instead by her watch. She'd stayed over for clubs too long and now she was going to be late! Breaking into a jog instead, she rounded the block, then took a shortcut down an alley.

Only to run smack dab into a guy who towered over her, who put out a hand to brace her against impact- that immediately shifted to grab her upper arm, one other just around the corner, cigarette smoke wafting in the air. He was dressed in a vaguely yanki style that seemed so /Showa/ - even sporting the pompadour. "Hey slow down little girl. What's your rush?" The guy with him was smaller - wearing a Gakuran as he leaned against the brick wall. He sneered at her over his lit cigarette, "Ohtori girl - that explains everything. From what I hear they like to take everything fast. Especially their men..."

"I'm... just on my way to a friend's home..." She mumbled, gaze turned sideways in horror. "... I'm sorry - I promise I'll watch where I'm going from now on." The guy straightened up in surprise, but that grip didn't loosen. "Hey an apology. And here I thought she'd be too stuck up for that... I'm almost disappointed. ... What else would you be willing to do if I let this slide?" Eri's eyes widened in shock as she started to stammer, "I... I..." She was more surprised that some part of her wanted to hit him. Like some instinct that she didn't even know where it came from to lash out. Instead she just whimpered in her helplessness, "Please..."

And then there was a voice from on high, "Hey - what did I tell you about hassling people on this block?" He looked up to see a silhouette on a wall - well for a split second at least. Before like a descending Erinyes she dismounted - smashing her foot smack dab in the center of his face Unable to hold his grip on his prey - his whole body snapped to the ground. The guy held his hands over his nose and gurgled unintelligibly, as Eri saw a mane of red hair cross her vision. It was... a girl?

The violent exchange with the other guy was quick - and brief. He threw a punch, she grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the ground with almost casual ease - before smashing a foot into his chest with rib bruising force. He only made a wheezing reply.

"Get the hell out of here. Don't let me catch you around here again or next time I'll put both of you in traction." The two couldn't even pick themselves up to walk away quite yet. The girl only spared her a look, with a lupine grin over the pocky stick held in her teeth, "Later girl." Eri stood there in shocked silence as she started to walk away - before taking a step forward, "Hey - wait... what's your name?" "Eh? Why do you care?" "I... just wanted to thank you..." "Save your thanks - I wasn't protecting you, just my bottom line." "Still... can I have your name?" "Whatever. Fine. It's Kyouko Sakura.

Eri couldn't say anything else before she walked off. It was only once she was gone that she repeated in wonder.

"Kyouko... Sakura..."

That name felt too familiar to have just met her for the first time. And why had she been too tongue tied to give her own in return?

-=-=-

"So what's it going to be Eri-chan? You're going to play a druid right? Or maybe you'd be more into the cool elven ranger type!" Sayaka Miki prodded her enthusiastically. Eri looked down at her sheet in indecision. Madoka was already offering in indecision, "Eri-chan it's okay if you can't decide. I made a whole lot of options if you want to try something new too."

Eri tapped her pen to the paper for a few moments before jotting something down.

"I think... I'm going to play a rogue..." Sayaka seemed unperturbed by this change of type. "A rogue!? Oho - I get it. You're looking to play the dashing ladykiller aren't you? Maybe you're hoping to seduce the fair Beretta." Homura Akemi looked up in annoyance before stating in a total deadpan, "That's unlikely."

"No no... more..." She smiled a little to herself as if thinking of someone, "The cool delinquent girl type."