Surviving Deadland [Up For Adoption]

Act 001: Spring Of The Dead

I laughed slightly and gave her a few pats on the head. "It's okay, Shizuka, everyone loves you how you are. Why are you trying to be more mature anyway?" I asked, tilting my head.

Her cheeks burned crimson and she twiddled her thumbs together. "Well...do you know Shin Yamada?"

I nodded, "Cute college grad who teaches Literature to class C," I said, hopping off the examination table and slipping my feet back into my shoes. I smoothed down my skirt and pulled my shirt down, straightening it.

"Yes, him," she mumbled shyly, "He's the youngest on the faculty and well...he's always saying something really smart and mature!" She exclaimed, holding up a finger. Her face was serious as she said, "I wanna sound mature too!"

I gave her a teasing grin, "You sure it doesn't have anything to do with you having a crush on Mister Yamada?" I wagged my finger at her playfully.
Her face turned beetred and I chuckled.

"Aikoko!" She whined, stomping her foot with a small glare.

I laughed and held my hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright, I'll stop." I sat on her desk as she wrote her report and signed my slip.

"Why do you call me Aikoko still anyway? Everyone else calls me Takane now, so how come you don't?" I asked as I studied the picture on her desk. It was a dark skinned woman with deep purple hair. She was wearing military garb and held a gun. I could remember Shizuka telling me about her more than once. Yes, I spend a lot of time in the Infirmary.

"I don't know," she mumbled in reply, "It just doesn't feel right calling you Takane." She smiled at me warmly, "To me, you'll always be Aikoko - my charge at the foster home!"

I smiled faintly at her words. I've never had a problem talking about my time at the home. I can't remember my real parents because I was around three or four when they gave me up for adoption. Quite frankly, I didn't want to remember them either. They left me and that was all I needed to remember as far as I was concerned.

I was distracted from my thoughts by the sound of footsteps echoing throughout the hallway outside the Infirmary.

I looked up in time to see Hisashi Igou run past in the company of my 'brother', Takashi, and his obsession, Rei.

Rei's eyes met mine for just a split second before she continued on.

'Smart girl.'

See, she might be a hotshot on the lancing team, but I'm Vice Captain of the Kendo Club and one of three black belts in the Karate Club. So let's just say, she stayed out of my way most of the time. Especially since I've never once tried to conceal my animosity toward her and Takashi. Of course that very animosity is one of the reasons Hisashi refuses to even look at me now. We were friends once and at one point I was hoping we'd be something more, however it just couldn't happen with Rei around. He ended up liking her and pretty soon I ceased to exist, just like it was with Takashi. It only worsened once they actually started going out but I left it at that. At first, I used to feel physically ill whenever I thought of him, especially with her. Now, it's just a dull disappointment that I feel deep down inside, buried under molten piles of anger and resentment.

Okay, so I may have a little temper problem but I swear it wasn't always that way.

"Done!" Shizuka exclaimed cheerfully and I looked back to see her waving my slip back and forth like a prize.

I smiled in amusement and plucked it from between her fingers before messing her hair up. "Thank you, Nurse Marikawa!" I called teasingly as I left.

"Aikoko!" She whined as the door closed behind me. I laughed out loud and called through the door, "Bye!"

I was heading back to my dorm when I passed by the open doorway to the kendo training room. I stuck my head through the doorway and immediately spotted Saeko Busujima, Captain of the Kendo Club. She was swinging a wooden sword at a practice dummy but it was like she was in real combat how she was moving.