Reiko POV

"Hngyah~"(Reiko)

Huh? Where am I? 

How long have I been asleep? It looks like it's dark out. Did Cheryl take me here? I seemed to be in a small room, maybe a hotel of sorts. Cheryl's to my left, sleeping on a bed, a tattered book next to her, the same one Camilla gave her. 

When did I fall asleep? All remember is suddenly feeling tired and then everything became black.

Grr...

I am a little hungry...

I wonder if there is anything to eat. There in the corner was the oversized backpack, two actually. A big one and a bigger one, for myself and Cheryl respectively. At first we had the big one to carry things like money, food, water and such, but after meeting Camilla she gave us so much things that we needed a second one, also provided by her. 

Despite its size, it wasn't too heavy for me, mostly things like clothes, given by Camilla. Plus, if I do say so myself, I am pretty strong for my age. He he~...

Anyways...

The clothes Camilla gave were mostly hand me downs from when she was younger, and while I do appreciate it and I do want to wear something other than the same thing over and over again, mostly short pants, a shirt and my jacket, I do have a slight problem. They were all dresses...

They are in good condition and are made of good material but... they are dresses... I don't think I'll wear them.

Cheryl had some too, not many, but she did give a couple. They were fancy, luxury dresses not made for the wild outside.

Anywho, let's see what there is to eat.

Scavenging through the bag I found various things but still no food.

Umu... there is nothing to eat...

I guess I'll have to wait till morning...

mmh... I only ate breakfast or lunch... brunch and nothing else. There is nothing to eat too. Could there be any stores, restauranst, anything open in this hour?

Probably not, it's not Japan. I'll just wait until morning. Maybe I can pass the time by sleeping more, that's what I usually did.

...

...

It's gonna be a long night.

-----

Cheryl POV

"Ahh~ Good morning."(Cheryl)

Looks like I fell asleep while reading last night. Sure is nice to feel the comfort of a bed with the morning sun. What time it is, I wonder. Either way Reiko should be awake by now, let's go eat some breakfast. 

"mmorrrrminnggggg..."(Reiko)

Her hair, although short was a bit of a mess, a sign of bed hair. Looks like someone slept well. 

Grr...

She slumped over, as if she had no energy at all. 

"You alright? Why so glum?"(Cheryl)

"I'm alright, I just didn't have too good sleep because I was hungry."(Reiko)

"Hungry? Why didn't you wake me up? I'm sure we could have gotten you something to eat."(Cheryl)

"I didn't think any store would be open. It's nothing, I'm alright."(Reiko)

"Nonsense! Come over here, let's quickly get you something to eat."(Cheryl)

Unbelievable, she hadn't had a thing since yesterday afternoon and instead of waking me up she'd rather stay hungry all night. Even if all the restaurants are closed, I'm sure I could've gotten her something to eat from a bar or something.

"Come on, let's go."(Cheryl)

"Okay."(Reiko)

-----

Munch munch

We were on a bench on the sidewalk, Reiko was eating her breakfast sandwich that we bought at a local shop. Her hunger seems to be soothed. We decided to rent the inn for the rest of the week so there was no need to carry anything with us except for a small handbag for the compass.

What am I gonna do with you?

At least you're enjoying your meal, like a little chipmunk. 

"Thank you for the meal."(Reiko)

Looks like she's finished eating. A benefit of being dead is that I do not need to eat to survive, in a way eating is more or less a luxury. I do crave some pudding or profiteroles sometimes though.

"Are you done?"(Cheryl)

"Nng, let's go now."(Reiko)

"Ok, ok."(Cheryl)

This Kana fellow, truly a mystery, I wonder how she's survived all this time, perhaps she got adopted. Maybe she's the younger of a twin, that could also make sense, even so it is truly hard to believe a child six or younger could survive for that long.

"Over here."(Reiko)

She gestured towards the clocktower. Descending downwards, passing by the locals. To our sides a red brick wall, shrubbery behind. Mostly Labelle had hues of white and grey so the green plants stood out. It brought life to the city of love. This coupled with the starry night sky makes this city a treat for the eyes.

"Hoh? It's now pointing over there."(Reiko)

Reiko said and pointed. 

I wonder what to do after we find this 'Kana'. Hopefully I get to find us a place to stay, get a job too. If possible I do want to find a way to somehow revive myself.

It's hard enough to be dead, and it's going to be harder to find a job and live a peaceful life. 

Plus... there are still things that I haven't finished.

Today was a busy day it seems, perhaps a couple days before the ball. From a distance I could see a couple carriages, luxurious, lavish carriages. No doubt a nobility.

Because of this there were more people than usual. You can see the mischievous grins of children playing and the casual laughter of the adults.

 In a sense, Labelle is the perfect place to live. Economy is stable, the crime rate is low, it is more advanced than other nations, no wars, no famine. Not only that but it is also quite beautiful, especially during the starry nights. 

My only gripe would be the abundance of the mahokinokos. Those dangerous mushrooms, if I'm not careful, Reiko might eat one of them and turn into a frog.

She's a smart girl, hopefully she doesn't do something stupid like that.

Maybe when the time comes, I'll go visit my family. 

I already know mother would shower Reiko with gifts, spoil her to the core. Hah... as if that's going to happen.

There is still much she doesn't know about me, nor do I know about her. One day, I hope we could break this wall that separates the two of us. To finally open up.

I think soon, maybe after we find Kana I'll tell her everything, about my lineage and about my death. No, I must tell her about the girl who killed me. If she's still alive who knows what she could do to her.

My team was not the strongest, but we definitely was much stronger than most people, yet she dismantled us singlehandedly, not even breaking a sweat, she was playing with us.

In this world, monsters like her exist, who knows what could happen.

All I know is I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let what happened to me happen to Reiko.

-----

Reiko POV

It's night time...

Kind of late too. Empty, cobbled streets and tall metal lamps. People were sparse, only a couple stray cats or dogs. Distant cricket chirps and flowing water were the only sound I could hear. 

I'm starting to become hungry too...

Tall apartments with lit up and dark windows, probably because it's time where people would go to sleep.

Pointless, pointless to go any farther, might as well go home and start again the next day. The longer I wait the more anxious I become. Time is so limited but if I'm not quick, she might be gone.

...

I guess I should put this away. Looking at the silver compass, in the middle it had an eye design staring right back. A little disappointed I unzipped my little hand bag to put it away.

Better luck next time...

...huh?

What's this?

It's moving! I- it's moving!

My head jerked to wards the direction of the needle. 

"Ch- cheryl!"(Reiko)

I alerted Cheryl immediately. Time was limited, I had to run before she's gone. In the direction of the needle I sprinted. 

"Reiko w- wait!"(Cheryl)

Into an alley, in between two tall and dark brown apartments. Both looked abandoned, cracked windows and mossy walls. Sketchy is a way you can call it, but that does not matter.

This was a risk I am willing to take.

At this point my heart was racing. My heartbeat was loud enough for me to hear. Where to look? Where to go? 

Hah? Huh?

Not too far, a figure, about as tall as a young woman. A ragged cloak was covering her so I couldn't make much of her appearance. The needle directly pointed at her.

No doubt. 

It was her 

"w- Wait!"(Reiko)

She left, turning right and disappearing into the dark. I panicked, almost tripped but still ran, reaching my arms. 

Th- there! 

Her cloak flowing in the wind as she so casually strolled deeper into the alley. At this point it resembled nothing like Labelle. It stank of rotten food and dead animal carcasses.

The walls that surrounded me was nothing like what I've seen before. It was day and night, Labelle had a pristine yet gothic look, the buildings here were abandoned, cobwebs and stains.

My body was starting slow, I am becoming exhausted. 

Just a little more...

"k- Kana!"(Reiko)

...

...

...

She stopped.

Standing still, completely still, she heard me. I walked forward while she turned her head slowly. 

Was this... it?

It's over, the journey is over.

I- I'm here, it's me, please remember. Kana, it's me.

Our eyes met.

Her face was delicate, like a doll. A button nose and ruby-like red eyes. Pink hair cascading down the side of her face, next to her snow-white skin. She wore a shocked expression, as if she has seen a ghost.

Kana, don't you remember?

"it's me... i- it's..."(Reiko)

"Y- you... how..."

Could it be, she has to remember, she must! Do you not recongise me? Maybe, maybe she doesn't recognise my appearance, she has to remember who I am. Yeah, she has to remember.

My eyes began to swell, words becoming mutter.

"Reiko, don't you remember? Y-... you're my sister."(Reiko)

"I-"

...

"I remember."(kana)