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Hanako's first days at Yamaku, and how she first met Lilly.

Yamaku.

A strange word. A foreign, alien one. One that you don't want to be in the same room with. A place tucked withing the hills and mountains of Japan, out of sight and out of touch.

A world where normal is a strange thing to consider, and what appears to be normal is little more than a façade. In it, the ones whom society would rather not see, the ones whom "normals" would rather smear with invisible paint, to make them vanish, for the mere purpose of forgetting of their own dear vulnerability, find a home.

And while each student tries to keep an appearance of normality, people in the close-by town know. The uniform inveriably draws attention. A tag, an unspoken badge for "Cripple walking. Make way".

Here, seasons drift apart, and each graduation gives the world a new reminder of what it desperately wants to ignore. Of what it may not be able to deny, but it tries to imagine far away, burried in the autumn leaves.

Chapter 1: Blackout

Small, shuffled voices could be heard from the occupied classes. It was a bit over 10 AM, and most students were in their classes.

Hanako stood in front of class 3-3, gripping her school bag. She extended her hand to tap on the door, but stopped a few centimeters short. She couldn't. Even though it was her choice to come here, she couldn't bare herself to do it. She stood in the middle of the hall, looking emptily into space. She was afraid. Not of the school, which was but a pile of bricks and mortar. She feared what lay beyond the doors. The eyes that would stare at her, that would innevitably point at her appearance.

She heard the door open, and a man, most likely in his fourties, stood before her. Hanako, making her visibly twitch. The teacher looked at her, scanning her from head to toe. Hanako's grip on her bag became so severe, her knuckles were close to snapping.

"You're miss Ikezawa, I assume?" asked the teacher.

Hanako gave no reply, merely nodding quickly. The empty hall made her encounter all the more fearful.

"Good to hear that. I'm Akio Mutou, your science and homeroom teacher. I've got your papers from Tamyia orphanage, so you're ready to go."

He handed her a paper.

"This is your timetable, and my phone number, in case you need it. Now, do you want to present yourself to the class, or should I do that for you?"

Hanako opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Only a small sigh, followed by a barely audible "no".

"Excuse me?" asked Mutou.

"I…I s-said no." replied Hanako in a stammer.

Mutou nodded and opened the door, pointing to Hanako to enter. The girl took one step, then froze. Her feet felt like lead, stuck to the floor. After a few awkward moments, Mutou placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle push inside. Hanako barely reacted, her breathing clearly quickening.

The teacher sighed, and entered himself, before beckoning Hanako to enter. By now, several class members were staring at the girl who seemed frozen in the door frame. Sixteen pairs of eyes looked at her. Hanako felt like a frod pinned on a board, waiting the scalpel of the disectionist. From her position, she saw a pink haired girl, signing something to her deskmate, a short haired girl with glasses. Was she talking about her? Some of the students were now whispering among themselves. Bits and pieces of information: how weird…what's wrong with her?...she's just standing there…were reaching her 's eyes began to roll back, as she fell her limbs go numb. The bitter taste of bile reached her tongue.

Mutou coughet loudly, drawing the attention of the class from the now petrified Hanako.

"Everyone, this is Hanako Ikezawa. I trust you'll make her feel welcomed, and act around her as you would with a friend. I'm sure she can find her place among you, if you open yourself to her."

The teacher waved to Hanako to enter. The girl took one step, then stood still again. The eyes. The eyes of the class seemed to pierce her like daggers. The hushed talks of the class became farther and farther, until her head became full with only static noise. Her face became flushed, then the pink tinge began to vanish under a cover of white.

Feeling the embarasement, Mutou moved forward, taking Hanako's hand. Feeling her scarred hand in Mutou's palm was the last straw. Blackness hit her like a lightning bolt, and she felt the ground under her vanish. The last sounds reaching her were shoot…nurse…quick.

0000

Hanako opened her eyes. The room smelled of medication, and the light seemed artificial. Moments later, the reality of what had happened sank in. She felt embarassed. And most of all shocked. It was the school she wanted to come to. And she wasn't even unable to enter her own class. The feeling of being a rag doll flowed into her like a ghost.

"Glad to see you're awake."

She turned, seeing a man in a doctor's coat. He was clearly younger than Mutou, and his blue hair shielded a broad smile.

"You did gave us a shock back there. Thankfuly, Mutou rushed you here. There are no medications that you need to take, so you're pretty much ready to leave."

Hanako's hands covered her face, her head sagging. She wanted to sob. To collapse and cry.

"Hey, it's okay", smiled the nurse. "There's nothing to be embarassed about. I mean, there's a girl in Mutou's class who fell asleep for two days. Right while he was giving a lecture on photons if I remember right."

The joke got no reaction from Hanako. She just stood motionless, face burried in her palms.

"Tell you what" added the nurse in a sly tone. "You can have the rest of the day of. Your things have been taken to the girl's dorm, so you can go there. Just…take it easy for now. The dayrooms are neat. You've got TV, a library, even board games. You'll find your place here."

The girl gave no reply. Her palms were now by her sides, revealing her face. The nurse looked at her, not sure where to begin. The pain of the mind was harder to deal with than any scar in the body. Hanako felt his eyes on her, and covered her scarred side with her palm.

"P-please…don't look at me."

The nurse turned his back, out of modesty. Hanako took this opportunity to pick up her bag and leave, staying close to the walls.

0000

The girl's dormitory was clearly bigger than her formar orphanage. The two floor building, much like the rest of the school had an antique feel to it. Hanako took a deep breath. The sooner she would be in her room, the better. She looked at the key in her palm. No more doubts were now in her mind. The orphanage was behind. Yamaku was ahead.

She entered the building, and climbed the stairs to the first floor. It was empty, except for the day room. The girl carefully moved ahead, and peeked inside.

On the floor there were spread several tubes of paint and brushes. A canvas was set up, and a short haired girl was painting on it. What shocked Hanako was that the girl was holding the brush between her toes, due to the lack of arms. The artist noticed her, and stood up. The two girls looked at eachother for a short moment.

"Umm…hy there. I'm Rin Tezuka. I'd shake hands with you, but keep your shoes on. I think people would find it weird if you would start taking of your clothes in front of me."

Hanako was at a loss of words. The girl in front of her was stranger than any person she had meet at the orphanage.

"…"

Rin rocked on her heels.

"Nothing? Guess we have another mute here. Hope you're not like that Hakamichi girl. She's got balls of steel. Or she would have them, providing she had a schlong to go with it."

"I...I'm not…" began Hanako.

"So you can speak. Then there must be something else wrong with you."

She approached Hanako, and her eyes caught sight of her scarred face. Her eyes widenned, as did Hanako's, but for other reasons. A cold chill ran down her spine, as she fell the world around her narrow down, until it looked like the barrel of a gun. Rin's stump reached up, pushing in part the hair that covered Hanako's scarred face. Hanako's lips were slightly opened, a small trickle of saliva forming on the right side.

"Cool. What a great idea for a new painting. I'll call it…Lines in the face. No, even better, The two faces of Yamaku. Just come and stay over there, until I…

Rin turned, only to realise she was talking to herself. The only sound that reached her was the sound of a door slamming.

0000

The orange sunset was barely vissible though the drawn curtains. Hanako stood on her bed, her forehead touching her knees. She was silent. Unlike the nights when she would stay awake, afraid that someone would come and play a prank on her. So many children had done that to her. But now, she had the room to herself. The door was locked.

She was safe.

Interesting work. A few typos here and there, but nothing major.

If you're trying to tie this into canon though, there are a few problems. I'm pretty sure Hanako has been at the school for three years when we meet her. I don't think it was her choice to go to Yamaku, either. The one I'm most sure of is that Rin doesn't name her art.

Well, for me, I liked that story so far. A very nice introductory opening to set things up I suppose.

As griffon8 mentioned, there are a few typos. To help you out I think I found one:

Hanako felt like a frod pinned on a board, waiting the scalpel of the disectionist.

I think you meant frog. Also it's dissector, not disectionist.

The smell of burning cloth, mixed with the ghastly sensation of roasted flesh filled Hanako's nostrils. Her vision was colored into a bright shade of orange. The same color shared by the sunsets she had seen so many times. Only the sunsets never hurt her. The sunsets never burned.

She felt the skin on her right arm crackle and snap. Her fingers twitch, scratching the ground like the legs of a fly impaled by a needle. She struck the floor, trying to extinguish the fire that had engulfed her sleeve. Her mouth opened in a shriek, followed by a wave of hot air that covered her lungs like a cloud.

"Oka-sam!" wailed the eight-year old, thrashing on the blackened floor.

She felt arms around her. Her body was all too familiar. The woman's body felt heavy, and her breathing was just as heavy as her own. She had taken off her jacket, and was now trying to extinguish Hanako's burning sleeve, with little success.

"Hanako, please hold on!" shouted the woman.

The two slowly crawled on the floor, with Hanako on the bottom, her mother crawling on all fours on top of her. The door of the house was barely visible through the fire. The burning on the sleeve had been extinguished, revealing the charred skin beneath. Hanako whimpered, as her arm brushed against the floor. She dared not look up at her mother. The fear of what she might see was too much.

A loud crack was heard, and before either of them could react, a burning wooden beam fell on them. Hanako's mouth opened in shock and surprise, as her mother was transfixed on top of her, face barely inches from her own. For a few brief seconds, their eyes were connected, wide and clear. Hanako said nothing. She was too hurt and shocked to speak. Her mother rested on her elbows, close to collapse under the weight. Her mouth closed to Hanako, before quickly touching her cheek.

"Ha-chan, I…love…"

A second crack put a full stop to her sentence. A section of the burning beam snapped, striking her face with full force. Hanako's vision became one sea of white, before all things vanished.


Chapter 2: Familiar Unfamiliarity

Hanako opened her eyes, but remained silent. The dream was now all too familiar. She felt no need to scream, to cry or to pity herself. The first few weeks she had spend in the hospital, this dream had been a daily occurrence. But at this point, it was little more than a trip down memory lane. A painful, hot, and dreadful trip into hell.

She turned to the clock next to the bed. 5:34 AM. Over two hours until school starts. Hanako's mind was torn between staying in bed all day, and going to class. The fear of fainting again made the choice all but clear.

Still, she decided to do the opposite. After all, it was her own choice to come here. And no matter what she would do, people would look at her.

Remaining on her back, the ceiling was just as black as the first night in the orphanage. She got no sleep that night. The ceiling was all but strange. This was no different. A strange canvas under which she slept.

Another unfamiliar ceiling.

0000

Before Mutou could open his mouth to start the role call, the door of the class opened. Sixteen pairs of eyes turned, pinning Hanako down. The girl froze for a moment, but before the teacher could move, she stepped into the class. She made her way though the desks, stopping short of the teacher's desk. She still kept her back to the class.

"Um…Miss Ikezawa, can you take a seat there?"

Mutou pointed to the only empty seat. Hanako nodded and turned, walking to her desk. She sat, careful to draw as little attention to herself as possible. She kept her face low, even as she took out her books.

"Hope you have a good time in our class. And if you need help, ask Miss Hakimichi. She'll deal with you." Added Mutou.

He pointed to one of the girls in the front row. She turned to Hanako, scanning her from beneath her glasses. Hanako felt nervous once again, but she restrained any outward sign of distress. Not this time. Not again!

The class progressed casually, and without any incidents. Mutou's voice sounded like a steady line of abstract and unconnected dots on a string, so much so that the meaning was lost to her. Hanako peeked shyly, and noticed one of the girls in the front seats sound asleep. The girl Mutou had pointed to earlier was busily taking notes, sometimes signing away to her partner, a girl whose pink hair was arranged in a strange drill shape. How much time does she have to spend each morning on those? Pondered Hanako, as her pen tried to keep track of the teacher's words.

The lunch bell put a most merciful end to the lecture. As the class packed up their things to head to the cafeteria, Hanako decided it would be better to let the class empty first. As she packed up, the pink haired girl's palms struck Hanako's desk with the force of a freight train. Hanako froze in place, looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

"Hey there new girl."

Hanako barely mustered a simple "h…hello". The other girl laughed aloud.

"Bit of a hermit I see. No probe, Mutou's class has such a wide variety of people; you'll fit in just fine. I'm Shiina Mikado, but everyone calls me Misha. This is Shizune, but if she's your friend, just calls her Shiichan. She's our class rep, and Student Council president."

The blue haired girl gave a quick nod in Hanako's direction, before quickly signing to Misha. The dark haired girl gently nodded in reply, but said nothing.

"Guess you're a quiet one. Shiichan's deaf and mute, so if you want to talk to her, ask me first. Or, you can take sign language lessons."

"I…think I'll talk to you…"

Misha grinned, crossing her chest.

"Atta girl. So, any questions?"

Hanako gave no reply. Misha rubbed her chin, and then drew closer to Hanako, staring right into her face. The other girl twitched, quickly covering her right side of her face.

"Hey, chill, you're too stressed. How about we go and grab some lunch. We may be isolated up here, but the food is to die for."

"I...I'm not hungry." Replied Hanako, still covering her face.

"Huh? You're thin already. You're on a diet or something?"

"N…no! I'm not…"

"Hey, it's all in good fun." Laughed Misha. "So, if you're not interested in eating, where do you want to go? Class rooms close during lunch time.

Hanako slowly raised her head. A small blush lit her face.

"L…br…y"

"'Scuse me?" asked Misha.

"Is…is there a library?" said Hanako, slightly with force.

"Um…yeah, sure. On the second floor. Just go out, then up the stairs on the left."

Hanako sat up quietly, taking her bag in her hand. She quickly made her way out the door, almost knocking Mutou's papers off his desk.

0000

Hanako's eyes scanned the library. It was far bigger than anything she had at the orphanage. Many of the tables had CD players on them, each with a pair of headphones. Hanako assumed they were for audio books. Along with the wooden chair tables, several armchairs and beanbag seats were scattered across the reading room. The hall was fairy empty, with the exception of maybe 14 students, some of which were making their way to the exit. Hanako backed against the wall, keeping her face hid until they passed.

With small steps, the girl made her way to the counter.

"E…excuse me." said Hanako.

Her voice sounded hush, even in the quiet library. The girl heard a shuffling sound, and saw a large stack of papers rising from under the counter. They fell on the surface with a thud, and a female form peeked from behind it. She looked like 20, with medium length brown hair.

"Sorry for the mess, but things in the fiction section are pretty messy."

"Do…you need any help?" inquired Hanako.

"What? No, I, I mean, no, its fine." Rushed the young woman in a nervous tone.

Hanako gripped her school bag tightly, before mustering the courage to speak.

"Can…I borrow some books?"

"No problem just let me see your card."

Hanako realized with embarrassment that she didn't have one. The orphanage card she used before had been revoked.

"I…don't have one."

"Oh, so you're new here. Just a minute."

She dashed behind her counter, frantically searching through the stack of papers until she found what she needed. She handed Hanako a registration paper.

"Here, fill these out. It's going to take four days for the card to be finished."

"I...I'll wait" said the girl, taking a polite bow.

The librarian smiled. "Well, you do look like the avid reader. If you need, I can keep some of the books aside. Just tell me what you like."

Hanako stood silent, and then spoke in a low voice, as if the reading room was still full of people.

"A…book on chess."

"Hm, that's certainly rare. Yeah, we do have some. I can keep aside two of them. Just tell me your name."

"Hanako…Ikezawa."

"And I'm Yuuko." Answered the librarian, extending her hand.

After a brief moment, Hanako extended her arm, but before they made contact, she quickly covered her visible scar with her other palm. Yuuko looked puzzled, before her eyes caught sight of Hanako's face. She spoke no words, but her face said it all. Hanako slowly broke the handshake, but resisted the urge to cover her face. She just stood, trying to keep a grip on her nerves.

"O…kay. I'll see you in four days then." Said Yuuko, trying to break the awkward silence.

She returned to her papers, leaving Hanako standing. The girl slowly released the grip on her scarred arm, and moved towards the exit, her school bag swinging gently by her side.

0000

The girl's dormitory was still fairy empty. Afternoons were generally dedicated to auxiliary activities. On her way, Hanako had seen several students on the race track. On the green of the park, a small musical band, consisting of blind students was practicing.

Hanako pushed the front door open, carefully searching for any student that might cross her path. She dashed up the stairs, and went past the common room.

Just like before, the armless girl was painting. Hanako was amazed by how dexterous her feet were. Each stroke was precise, and confident. She gently entered the room, looking past Rin's shoulder. The picture was well into the abstract. It showed five circles, each with a slender, almost putty figurine placed on it in a running motion. Similar figures adorned the edges.

"You like this stuff?" asked Rin, turning her head.

"If…I could know what it's supposed to be."

Rin grinned, and then got up. She walked next to Hanako, and evaluated her work.

"I call it…The Running Girl. It's a vision. Nay, a dream into the wind and into the gym clothes of my friend."

"H…what?" asked Hanako.

"Sorry, that's the burrito I had for lunch talking. Anyways, how'd you spend your first day? Any sexual predator stalked you yet?"

Hanako's face exploded into a blush, and her hands dropped the bag.

"W…wha…"

"Hey, just saying. I mean, you look nice and all."

"D…do you have to talk like that?" asked Hanako.

"Like what?"

"Like…weird."

"Well, I'm weird, and I like." Replied Rin.

"Like…what?"

"Art, duh. That and collecting weird cases. I mean, yours and mine are obvious, but there are some really weird ones. Some I can't even spell. Heck, even the nurse can't help me with some of them."

Hanako stood shocked by how frank Rin could talk about her own condition. Even here, she felt like she was the only one who still felt outcaste.

"He talks to you about what's wrong with people?" asked Hanako, trying to dodge the subject.

"Yeah, sometimes. He even has an extensive photo database of these cases. Some…really juicy."

Hanako decided it would be best no to ask what that meant.

"So…how long have you been painting?"

"About four years. My first work was a divine gift, send from above."

"How so."

Rin raised her left stump.

"Got it stuck in a paint can. I wiggled it so hard to get it loose, that it sprayed on mom's clean sheet.

Hanako's lips began to move. Gently parting, but not in fear. A gentle giggle at first, before she burst in laughter. It was a completely new sensation. And it felt good. And for a lack of a better word, she could only describe it as…fun.

Rin had no reaction. She just turned to the door.

"Excuse me, I need some help with a problem."

"Can…I help?" asked Hanako, in a tone that was still full of joy.

"Not really, I need to find someone for this. It's a bit messy."

"Need a hand with the paint?"

Rin's lips were one straight line.

"Look Hanako, it's not that. I have to poop, and I need some help with that. But I don't think our friendship is yet on the level where I would allow you to stick your fingers in my ass crack, even if you offered to."

She left the room, heading for the stairs leading to the upper floor. Hanako remained behind, bewildered, amused, and confused. Only one word was now in the board of her mind: friendship.

0000

Hanako's eyes drifted to the ceiling that was now one day old in her memory. Empty and plain. Just like her. With her mind still on the events of the day which had passed, she decided that it was a good start.

She looked at the clock. 11:10 PM. Closing her eyes, she sighed.

She had to go to sleep.

Her nightmares waited.

Interesting chapter. Some typos again but nothing major.
Some miscellaneous remarks:
- If this is their first year, Misha should still have her long hair.
- Rin doesn't name her paintings.
- Rin generally seems a bit OOC in this scene, but, hey, par for the course

Mirage_GSM wrote:Interesting chapter. Some typos again but nothing major.
Some miscellaneous remarks:
- If this is their first year, Misha should still have her long hair.
- Rin doesn't name her paintings.
- Rin generally seems a bit OOC in this scene, but, hey, par for the course

No, Florinu123 established in the first chapter that Hanako was joining class 3–3. And I pointed out the Rin thing earlier.

Considering how much this has already gone off the rails of canon, I'm just going to enjoy this as is. It's 'Katawa Shoujo' with Hanako as the main character instead of Hisao. There's even only one available seat in the classroom for her.

I guess comparing 'Yamaku' to 'Arrhythmia' should have been a clue.

griffon8 wrote:No, Florinu123 established in the first chapter that Hanako was joining class 3–3.

Oh right, I missed that in Chapter one or I would have commented right then.
Hanako has been in Yamaku for longer than that - except if griffon is right and you want to make this an alternate reality fic.
Edit:
In that case the library is down the stairs, since third year classrooms are on the third floor.