[center][b][u]Day 0 - Before the Storm - Kabetake Household[/u][/b][/center] "Beni!" The familiar alarm echoed throughout the small apartment, loud footsteps chimed against old, creaking floor boards along with that cry, and Kabetake Beni tried her best to feign ignorance of the noises, shifting deeper under the plaid-designed comforter that covered her small body. The smell of eggs and burning bread almost drew her up again, but the bed was just so warm, so comfortable... The sounds were slowly approaching, a morning demon would eventually tear her out of the warm bed, and Beni let out a shuddering sigh. Perhaps it would be best to sit up, rather then be ripped free into the cold morning like usual. The doorknob shook, and then light from the living room and kitchen poured into the darkened room. Giggles replaced the calling, and soft footsteps slid across the floor, and quickly Beni sat up and yelled, "I'm awake!" To which her sister, Akane, replied with a loud laugh. She grinned down at her groggy sister, lifting a hand to ruffle her already messy red hair. Beni reacted with a yawn, kicking off the covers. They conversed briefly, Akane explaining that breakfast and lunch for later was prepared and that she would be leaving earlier and staying a bit later after school today, to which Beni replied with nods and tired looks until her sister exited the still-dark room. The younger sister eventually stood, turning to her closet to prepare for her school day, unaware that their conversation just now would most likely be their last. --- Akane devoured her breakfast quickly, all while brushing out her long hair and watching the morning news from the tiny, old TV that sat on their kitchen counter. Weather reports, news from the night before, sad or uplifting stories, same old same old. Nothing changed, nothing mattered. At the table was her cellphone, and a small box. A present she had received the night before from Beni, a late birthday gift. Inside had been a lovely silver-chained necklace, and the ornament it showed was a small, silver disk. The front of the disk was the design of a clover, small and cute, while the back was inscribed with a small message that read: 'A little luck for Akane from Beni'. It was her new favorite accessory. Eventually, Akane swallowed her last bite and stood up, placing the dirty plates into the sink, and she turned back to the two-seat dining table. She reopened the gift box and quickly clipped on the necklace before grabbing her own bento box and school bag, calling out, "I'm off!" Just as Beni exited her room. They shared a smile, and then Akane turned on her heels, slipped on her plain sneakers, and ran out into the cool morning sat that had sat, waiting, outside their open-air apartment complex halls. The school they both attended together wasn't far, only a few blocks, and normally they would walk together just an hour later, but today all of the Karate club had been instructed to arrive early to clean the dojo. It was hard work, but not unusual, and honestly Akane felt it would do some good for the club as a whole. And so, without another thought in her mind, she ran all the way to school, appearing as carefree as she normally would. [center][b][u]Day 0 - Before the Storm - Hideki High School[/u][/b][/center] After cleaning up the dojo and running a few drills, Akane went along as she normally did with her school days, talking, trying to pay attention in class, laughing, listening, helping, working, and nothing seemed unusual. Her mind whirled with thoughts about what to make for dinner, gossip she had heard earlier, usual, usual, usual. During one class though, Akane had found her eyes wandering, and eventually settled them on Shizune, the mysterious transfer student. She frowned at the girl, eyes squinting, trying to decipher her expression or body movements as she normally did when she had a thought that someone she knew was feeling down, but no feeling of any sort entered her mind. [i]'Such a hard girl to read,'[/i] her mind whispered, [i]'it makes me... Sad?'[/i] Ideas of what emotion she felt whirled quickly into her thoughts, but no answer arrived. Only a feeling of emptiness. As usual. The classes passed quickly, and eventually the final bell rang. All the students rose, bowed, and then were excused, and Akane rose and stretched, letting out a sound of pure bliss as the day was finally done. She turned her eyes downwards to the watch around her wrist, and then slowly stood, reaching for her bags so she could hurry off to the dojo once more for a club meeting, but someone caught her wrist, and she turned up to see the familiar face of the club president, Eni. The mature third-year stared down at her with vague, dull eyes. Another hard character to read, "Practice is cancelled today, but I need you to do me a favor." the girl spoke with a low, harsh voice, which matched her menacing eyes and boyish haircut. Akane smiled in response and nodded, listening to her senpai's request. Eni nodded once she was through and then they parted ways, leaving behind a somewhat crestfallen Akane. She did really want to practice today, but in the end they were unable to because Eni had forgotten to write down a piece of paper work for the club. The girl, despite her angry-appearance, was rather shy, and had trouble talking to adults, so she entrusted Akane with getting it from their adviser and filling it out. After the classroom emptied a bit more she stood, collected her bags, and wandered down the teacher's lounge. The paperwork took awhile, and Akane was easily distracted as the teachers slowly began to head out of the room, towards their cars to prepare dinners or attend important dates. She soon finished up, returned it to the club adviser, and bowed farewell before re-entering the hall. It was quiet, the sky was already beginning the darken with storm clouds, and Akane had a sudden feeling of dread. She didn't want to walk home alone. Her head slowly lowered as she began to think of people who would still be lingering around, and she finally settled on Aito, or Ai-chan, as she would always call him. The club he was in, the P.O.I.R, was probably still in session. Dragging him out would be easy. She giggled and started down the hall, mind tracing the paths that would lead to the creepy club room, but everything quickly went blank as the entire school was plunged into darkness. "Eh... A power outage?" she murmured, glancing backwards. Silence... Oh shit, Ai-chan! He was afraid of the dark! Her pace picked up towards the room, an unfamiliar thumping beat against her own chest. Fear. Of what? The room was closer, and Akane thought she could faintly hear movement from inside. "Ai-chan!" she called out, forcing the voice to stay calm and cheerful. She reached blindly out and managed to slide the door open, right as the shaking started. Violent tremors, familiar. An earthquake. Her next call was a yelp of pain as she slammed against the ground, losing her balanced from the sudden shaking. It was so dark, she couldn't see. She could hear though, screams. Most familiar. The members of the P.O.I.R perhaps? Shaking. Darkness. Screams. "Ait-" Her voice cut as another powerful tremor sent her flying out of the doorway, slamming the door. She tumbled back into the hall with a cry, losing consciousness as she crashed against the far wall of the hall and slumped down onto the tiled floor. Silence. --- [center][b][u]Day 0 - Hallway[/u][/b][/center] [i]'Music...'[/i] A beautiful sound, violins strummed out a sobbing melody that managed to wake Akane just slightly. Her eyes wavered, focusing only on the familiar, closed door of the P.O.I.R club. Pain filled her head as she tried to sit up, so much so that she simply gave up and fell back onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Something cool rested against her cheek, and with curiously fingers she reached for it and ended up discovering her sister's necklace. She smiled once, then refocused on staring above, trying to calm her beating head, and then she noticed it. The sky, it was red. From where she lay, just by the hallway windows, Akane had a perfect view of the sky, and it was red. Blood red. Empty. Akane once again tried to sit up, her teeth clenching tightly, and was soon kneeling high, using the wall as a crutch. Her eyes forcefully scanned the outside world, and confusion mingled with her pain. Instead of the familiar Hideki courtyard and school walls there was just a sea of black trees. The sky, which had been black with storm clouds just before she was knocked out, was red, and a black moon hung in the air. "Where..." Music interrupted her thoughts again. That violin, where was it coming from? Akane cringed as she stood up fully and then ran a hand through the hair at the back of her head. Something warm and wet met her finger tips, and she pulled back quickly as soon as she realized it was blood. Nothing else about her showed symptoms of instead brain damage, she wasn't exactly dizzy or sick, maybe a bit confused, but nothing more. Akane disclosed it as a scrape... But... No, don't worry about yourself! The others, in the room! Her heart thumped, but she managed to stay calm and turned towards the club room again. She reached out and, rather strangely, knocked instead of ripping it open. "H-hello?" She called, voice strained, "i-it's Kabetake... Akane. Are you guys okay in there... Are you in there at all?" Her voice trembled. The music, was it getting closer?