(Please let me know what you think of this story. If it gets enough readers in the next few days I'll continue writing it. Also, feel free to point out any errors.)

I cracked my fingers as I walked down the busy streets of Tokyo. A breath of misty air escaped my lips as I entered a convenience store that was open at 2am, causing the door to make a buzzing sound. I had been staying in Japan for about three months, and it had been everything I had expected so far and more. I noticed a spilled drink on the floor which had a cleaning in progress sign on top of it.

I started browsing randomly using my phone to translate the packaging into English since while I could speak Japanese decently enough for an Englishmen, I was basically illiterate. I mean, do you really need three different lettering systems. I entered an aisle which seemed to have chips in it. There was a buzz from the sliding door as I picked up a bright orange packaging and snapped a photo. As the app translated, I heard some chatter coming from the till which I just ignored as I picked up another package and uttered to myself under my breath, “What does the sleep paralysis demon desire, huh?”

I decided on the bright pink one which read in the translation app as ‘Teriyaki Fried Crap.’ I chuckled as I headed to the till. As I rounded the corner, I froze. There was a man with a leather jacket in his mid-thirties, holding a knife to the neck of the mid-twenties female cashier who was with trembling hands, emptying the contents of the till. When he noticed me, he said in broken English, “HEY FORIGNER, WALLET! OR I HURT YOU LIKE I HURT THEM!!!”

I glanced to where he gestures, and I see another employee, this one a teenage boy who is sitting against a wall as he uses his jacket to cover an obviously slash arm. I just slowly, put one hand into my back pocket and pull out my wallet and place it on the counter before backing up. He then motions for me to go further, and I do. As soon as I was about ten meters away from the till, he darts with his bag full of yens, and grabs my wallet before bolting for the door. As he approaches the door he falls flat on his back due to the spilled drink. I restrain myself from laughing since the man looks slightly deranged, and I have no intention of ever feeling what a blade cutting into me feels like again.

He hastily scrambles to get up and it looks as if he is part of some kind of sketch comedy. I bite my tongue as the robber, finally get to his feet and after a few seconds is off and I begin to laugh heavily as I see him run into the distance for a few seconds before slowing to a light jog from exhaustion.

I then turn to the man who has a strained look on his face as he tries desperately to not start screaming. I approach him calmly and say, “ねえ、お願い、診させてください。応急手当てが得意なんです.” (Hey, let me have a look. I can do first aid.)

“お願いします…” (Please…) he said in a slightly relieved, mostly agony filled tone. I gently remove the coat he had been using to try and stop the blood. I retch slightly as a long gash horizontally down the bottom of his arm us oozing a large amount of blood. It deep and has probably severed an artery or something. I think for a second as I hear the other coworking yelling down the phone call to 119. The chance that an ambulance get here on time are slim. All I can do I do my best. I immediately push the coat back onto the wound and he begins to apply pressure again. I stand up and remove my belt. I then loop it over his upper arm and with more strength than I fought I had, I tugged it tight and watched as his arm bulge from the pressure causing him to scream out, “痛い、くそ痛い！” (That Fucking Hurts!!!)

I then ran into the store and looked around. I grabbed a bottle of sake and decided to just head back since the store lacked a healthcare section. I then took off the blood-stained coat and took a look at the wound. It was about an inch deep and probably went to the bone. I then took off the Bleach shirt I was wearing and poured the sake all over it. I then poured even more over the wound washing it out as best as I could. I then began to stuff the wound with the t-shirt and then tied it in a knot around the arm as tight as I could. I then took a large swig of the bottle before giving the man a swig as well. Could I have given a swig before, I started stuffing an anime shirt into his gaping wound, maybe. Did it sound like I was torturing him for the last few minutes, possibly. I felt like throwing up. Totally. With that I heaved up all the teppanyaki I had consumed for dinner the previous evening while making sure not to do so on the wound. I then slumped down into the blood and vomit-soaked floor next to the kid as all the adrenaline exited my body. I then held out my hand in a fist as he fists bumped it weakly since he was looking more and more pale. “Dylan…” I said, trying to keep him distracted.

“Shinji…” (真司) He said his voice sounding fainter. I kept his focus for the next few minutes as he kept almost losing consciousness. As the sirens approached, I let out a sigh of relief as I shook his shoulder when he closed his eyes for a second. As he was loaded onto a stretcher by the paramedics I stood up and followed and watched as he was sent off to the hospital. I heard more sirens in the distance which probably meant the police. As the ambulance sped off with its sirens blearing, I turned around since I wasn’t going to spend the next few hours in police interviews hungry. Just as I rentered the store I heard the sound of a horn and glanced behind me to see where t had come from. I let out an almost silent, “Well Fuck!” as Truck-Kun plows into me after crashing into the shop.

As I lay on the ground covered in bits of ceiling and various foodstuff, I pondered about the fact that there was no flashing of memories as I passed away, no sudden feeling of regret. Just the sullen acceptance that the world would continue, and fate had destined that you are no longer a part of that. As my heart beat it final vain attempt at keeping me alive subsided I eeked out a final smirk. As my last two brain cells flashed together before withering away, I thought. ‘This absurd joke has finally reached its punchline, and due to it I embrace the void, with a bemused smile.’

The moment I died it felt as if the ground below me turned into water and I was submerged. I began to sink down as the cold water soaked into my very being. I watched as the light of the surface began to become fainter and fainter until I could no longer see anything at all. In this state I as nothing. I had no thoughts, no emotions, no desires. I was simply a consciousness trapped in the exact moment of my demise. After all, with no mind to process what my no longer existent sense could, I was unable to do anything other than exist. I was simply a soul floating through the void.

I have no clue how long I simply existed in the void but eventually a tingling sensation began to envelope my whole body. It felt comforting in a way. However, after a few minutes, it began to burn. For God knows how long my whole body was coated in a layer of fire that hurt so much that it felt like I was swimming in a volcano. I however was unable to express or even fully comprehend what was happening as an astral body began to form around my soul. Once it had I began to scream at the top of my lungs in agony. Not like there was anyone to hear my cries though. Eventually, the pain subsided, and I lost consciousness returning to the state I had been in before my astral body had been constructed.

I was roused from my sleep by the smell of burning wood. I had a massive headache as I sat up and realised, I was now in a tent of somekind. As I stepped out, I realised that I was only wearing a pair of sackcloth trousers, help up by a piece of cord wrapped around my waist. As I lifted my head up as I exited with caution, I froze.

Sitting on a log, was a man. He looked to be in his early thirties with long blond hair tied into a bun. He was probably about five foot ten and had a lean but toned frame. What caused me to freeze wear the two-pointed, knife-like ears that went out about two inches, and both twitched occasionally. “Hi…” I said in a hesitant tone as I carefully took a seat on a log on the other side of the smouldering fire then what I assumed was an elf. “Dinéékáági, níyáánáągo tʼáá hwózhǫǫgóó ádiná.” He responded in a mostly gruff but surprisingly melodic tone.

It all sounded like a drunk Scotsman to me, so I said, “Sorry. I can’t understand you.” Upon seeing my perplexed expression, he tossed me something. I on reflex caught it and realised it was somekind of kebab. I quickly grabbed the end that was not coated in hot bits of something and then shook the hand I had used to catch it since it had burned it badly. I stopped after a few seconds after to my surprise the pain had subsided.

Before I could fully comprehend what had just happened however, I felt my stomach grumble as I glanced at the skewer which was actually starting to smell quite nice to my famished stomach. I gently blew on the lumps for about half a minute before biting one off. It was still scolding hot, and I panicked slightly as I tossed it around on the inside of my mouth, causing a chuckle to escape from the elf that was my company.

The lump had the same consistency as a potato but was way more earthy and salty. It also had a more yellowy colour similar to bamboo shoot than anything else. As I ate the rest of the lumps, I looked around. It was pitch black basically, and I couldn’t see anything except the silhouettes of trees and shrubs. It seems we were in a clearing about twenty metres in circumference.

I then heard a voice in the back of my head, instinctively causing me to jump up in surprise as it said, “Can you understand me?”