Marionette

Oceans, Chapter Fifteen - Oryoku [応力]

There was once a word used to describe Amaya.

It was one that she'd only ever heard back in her old life.

It was a word which was used purely with her in mind, only by people that actually knew the past version of herself.

For the most part, Amaya didn't remember enough for small tidbits to come rising back to the surface of her mind, but right now, her ocean-engulfed world was beginning to tumble and thrash around, like it was engulfed in a tumble-dryer. Much like with the agitation of water, things that had long since sunk to the bottom were jostled from their resting places, swirling around with the turbulence, where it glimpsed in view from the surface.

This long-lost word was one of those things.

It danced along the darkness that had engulfed Amaya's consciousness, just out of reach, but still close enough to prod at her.

"Shogai no ko"

Back when she heard the words used to describe her, she didn't understand what it meant.

Back then, there were many words used to describe her that she didn't understand.

But this one was the most common.

And it was used exclusively by her father.

Truth be told, there was a lot about her father that she remembered. There was a lot she hated, and very little that she actually liked about him.

The only things she liked about her father were the physical traits that the twins had inherited from him; The gold eyes and the black hair. Amaya inherited the gold eyes from her father as well, and they were the only physical trait between the siblings that showed they were related.

But there wasn't anything else about the man that she liked.

She hadn't seen him in what was coming close to eight years, and she didn't own a single photograph of him. Yet unlike the fact that Amaya couldn't remember her mothers face, she most certainly could remember her fathers face.

And she hated it.

The name of her father was Katsuragi Toji, and it was a name that instilled a lot of hatred within her. It was a name she never wanted to hear again, just like the owner of that name was a being whom Amaya never wanted to see, either.

A failure, a creature of little worth. To her father, that was all she was. She didn't have a name, nor did she have a personality or emotions.

To Katsuragi Toji, who was a Scientist in the field of genetics, Katsuragi Amaya didn't exist.

Much like the rest of the world, he chose to see her as something else.

Shogai no ko.

Now that she recalled it, she knew what it meant.

And unfortunately, she couldn't help but feel like maybe it really was true.

A soft, gentle touch of cool reached out to her in the darkness of unconsciousness, gently setting upon her forehead. It was soothing, and yet the motion itself drew and tugged at her, bridging the darkness and reconnecting her with the outside world.

Slowly, Amaya opened her eyes.

She found herself in a situation that was almost identical to yesterdays. She was staring up at the same ceiling, the same surroundings which belonged to the Class E infirmary, telling her that she had fainted once again.

However something was different from last time.

Instead of waking up feeling rather normal, Amaya could immediately tell that she wasn't well. Her body felt heavy and she felt a little faint. Thankfully the uncomfortable cold was gone, which was probably thanks to the blanket that had been draped over her. Another difference from yesterday's infirmary visit was the fact that there were voices echoing from somewhere in the room - Two in particular, and neither she recognized off the top of her head. She guessed they were on the other side of the dividing curtain.