Oshi No Ko FanFic (A Spiteful Reincarnation)

Chapter 11: Life's Great Equalizer Part-1

It has been one week since Mariko and her family were at Ai's new apartment. This was definitely not good news for Mariko, who got sick the very night that they left Ai's home. She had been a major proponent of predestination in her previous life, and she started to regret that decision. She just hoped that Ai would be a little more careful when it came to opening doors. Her parents were worried too, but in this case they were worried about her health. Apparently, it is not normal for the flu to last a week, and she was still going through it.

The door to Mariko's room opened with a creak, and a moment later her mom walked into the room with a thermometer. After Miyako took the temperature reading she said, "It is better than yesterday... How are you feeling?" Mariko was shocked to hear that a thing was going her way but at that moment she let out a small groan as the muscles ache in her chest worsened slightly. The worried expression on her mom's face was not helping much either. "I... better" was all she could get out before another wave of nausea crashed over her.

When Mariko finally recovered a little, she was once again able to see the look of anxiety in Miyako's face. With a tired smile Mariko asked, "I know dad is going to take Ai to the dome, but what are you planning to do mom?" Mariko could see her mom's face visibly saddened before taking a second to think. While she was thinking she gently patted Mariko's head as if to provide comfort to her daughter. Eventually, she replied, "I think I might have to skip this one. Some things are just that much more important." Mariko frowned slightly at the response, but before she could protest Miyako continued, "You have a doctor's appointment today anyway, so I will be with you either way." Miyako then leaned down and kissed Mariko's forehead, stifling any protest that Mariko might have had. Silence once again pervades the room.

"Ai needs to be especially careful today." Mariko whispered almost too herself. Miyako looked down at her daughter questioningly while asking, "Why would you say that? Doesn't she have to be careful every day?" Mariko closed her eyes and tried to formulate a sentence that would make her sound insane. She could not just say that she was reincarnated and that her mom and everyone else in this world were just manga characters that she read about in her previous life. So she once again settled on the metaphysical feeling of the situation instead. "I just have a bad feeling that if she is not careful we all might fall into misfortune especially since the dome concert is today." Mariko said softly. Her mom sighed in response, then walked to the closet and picked out some clothes. "Get ready for the doctor's appointment, and if it puts your mind at rest I would give Ai a call." Mariko relaxed a little after hearing Miyako's words.

Ai's residence:
Ai was getting ready for the upcoming event when a phone call interrupted her routine. Looking at Aqua and Ruby who were still sleeping on the bed, she picked up the phone. Miyako's warning came through the speakers telling her to be extremely careful since it was a very important day in her career. After the warning they started having a casual conversation. While Ai was talking she slowly made her way to the door and locked the door chain. By the end of the conversation Ai had found out that only Miyako would miss the live performance due to Mariko's illness. "Oh, I have to take Mariko to the doctor now. Talk to you later." Miyako said. As the both said their goodbyes and hung up, Ai noticed that Aqua was now stirring slightly.

Aqua slowly awakened to the sound of Ai saying Ruby and his name. Ai slowly leaned forward to hug both him and Ruby. As Aqua looked to his side he realized that Ruby was still asleep in her mothers arms. As Ai released them from her grasp, Aqua began to get dressed. When he was finally finished he turned back to Ruby who was still asleep and decided to leave her be for the moment.

Ai was in a somber mood as she typed out the tweet which read "I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE DOME." In her mind she was still wrestling with the concept of love and how to feel it. She was quite scared of what would happen if she said "I love you" to her two children and those words rang hollow. She had wanted to be a mother so that she could maybe just get a better understanding of love, but that did not turn out to be the case. She had to continue lying to her fans until she could finally feel love for her not to be afraid of saying "I love you" to her children. "I will lie today. I will continue lying believing that one day it will become true." Right after Ai finished this thought a memory surfaced in her mind. The soft voice of the now sick Mariko saying that a liar must be careful in order to avoid repercussions. At that very moment a ring from the door took her attention. As she walked to the door she thought, "This will all be worth it in the end. Even if I have to pay the price for it later on..." She gently opened the door.

Miyako's car:
The world passed quickly by Mariko as the car continued to make its way to the hospital. Mariko did not quite understand why she had to go to the hospital but apparently it had something to do with Ichigo wanting to make sure that her illness was just the flu and not some crazy health issue. No, Mariko wasn't really worried about herself at the moment. She was currently worried about Ai. She could not quite remember all the details about her death but she could remember that it happened earlier in the day. She could not help but wonder if the stalker could be stopped at this stage. The muscles ache in her chest had been slowly receding since they started driving so at least that is a positive.