Rotten Girl - Reader x Japan

Reader x Japan
Rotten Girl
X

Warning! Conatins some gore and violence!

X

A young man sat on the white couch in his apartment, slowly paging through a novel. A cup of hot green tea sat next to a sakura branch on the table in front of him, and his tiny Akita-Mix, Pochi, was curled up next to him. He rubbed the dog's head lovingly. His black hair fell into his face, neat and perfectly trimmed like always as his dark brown eyes skimmed across the pages in the book. Every once in awhile, he used a tiny, thin hand to turn the page. All of him was tiny. He wasn't much taller than 165 cm, and rather slim. But that didn't matter. He valued his traditions, was quiet, hard-working, and handsome.

He closed his book and stood, adjusting his navy blue yukata and motioned for Pochi to follow him as he walked off. Pochi jumped from the couch and trotted after his master.

"Oh? You're leaving."

He came back, leading a strikingly beautiful woman. She smiled brightly at him and sat down on the couch while he left to make more tea. Pochi crawled onto her lap and she giggled, petting the dog kindly. Her hand held a bright, shiny, diamond ring. When he returned, the woman happily bounced to her feet and gave him a hug while he blushed lightly. They then returned to the couch, Pochi between them, as they started up a conversation. She was pointing out things in scrapbooks and magazines she had brought along. Magazines with pretty women in pure white dresses with roses surrounding them.

You threw the curtain down in disgust. The light from the window became stifled by the heavy curtain, throwing the already musty room into a sickly yellow light.

It's not fair!

Turning, you slumped yourself against the thin wall, making a loud banging sound. You bit your lip, trying to hold back bitter feelings.

Everything was all that woman's fault. She was the one that got to be happy.

The man's name was Honda Kiku. A stereotypical Japanese name for a stereotypical Japanese man. A man you loved, despite his uniformity.

And this woman, she had the audacity to just sweep in and take your love. You hated her so much you never bothered to learn her name. She was just the one who could touch him, hug him, hold his hand. The one who could make him smile, or just show any kind of emotion. She had stolen your place, without ever giving you a chance, and an undeniable fire of jealousy burned deep within you.

That should've been you, right there, next to him.

After all, it was you who knew all you could about him. He was involved in politics, a quite powerful figure, actually. He had connections all over the world, and traveled a lot. When he returned home, he always visited the same onsen and the same spot for the flower-viewing ceremonies. He liked video-games and technology, but still stuck to his values. He could do both calligraphy and programming, tea-ceremonies and hacking.

It was obvious you loved him so much. You knew all about him, after searching behind closed doors for hours. Why couldn't he see?

You stared numbly around the dark room of the apartment. You were so absorbed with him, you never cleaned. Books scattered on the floor, cardboard boxes piled high, and cobwebs hung in the far corners. It didn't matter if your apartment was a mess. It was a cheap place anyway.

He was all you could think about, as you sat in a chair at the window every day and watched him whenever you could.

"愛して." The words fell from your lips lifelessly as you banged your head against the wall. "愛して!"

X

Perfect. It was perfect.

You stepped back and admired the wall. Pictures of anything and everything Kiku covered it completely. It was a collection of him. The things he liked: a traditional green tea set. A tatami room. His katana. The kanji in his name. Him, dressed in his yukata. Dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. In his business suit. Clippings from the newspaper. Online pictures. Even pictures of him on a date.

It was all you could find, and more. You were proud of your work. You had hung up signs with quotes that you had seen him use or ones that reminded you of him up, too. Large rusty nails held them up, a kitchen knife or two as well. You didn't use the knives anyway, so it didn't matter.

Maybe if he saw this he would realize how much you loved him. Even if he never saw it, you needed this here. You needed him.

Kicking a cardboard box out of the way, you stepped up to the wall. Reaching out, you touched his photos.

You could only imagine what it would be like if it was really Kiku here instead of the pictures. His skin would be soft and smooth to the touch, effortlessly flawless.

It destroyed you to no end that you weren't allowed to have him. He could do whatever he wanted to you. You wouldn't refuse him. If he could hold your hand? Of course. Could he touch your hair? No problem. Could he kiss you? Most definitely.

His lips would be soft, and sweet, and gentle, and...

You collapsed against the wall. Just why couldn't he see? You were completely riveted. You needed him completely riveted. You needed more of him. Your collection wasn't good enough. And she was in the way.

The cardboard box stared at you dauntingly from the floor.

X

She pulled her coat tighter around her and her heels clicked on the pavement. It was a steady, slow beat. Otherwise, the city street was silent and empty. You padded along behind her, silencing your own feet. Her hair shimmered softly in the yellow street lights, and you wound a finger through yours in jealousy. You gripped what you had hidden in your own coat pocket, your knuckles turning white. She stopped a few feet in front of you, and you froze as well. She looked down into an alleyway she was passing, and took a tentative step towards it. Soon she disappeared down the alley, and after a moment you followed her quietly.

She was kneeling down, bent over something, and a soft mewl escaped from her direction. She most likely just found a box of abandoned kittens, it was the city, after all. You slowly and carefully walked up behind her, letting your shoes click against the pavement in the darkness. She scooped up a white kitten from the box and it mewed again quietly, cuddling into her. She stroked its head for a moment before the sound of your heels and the rustling from your coat pocket hit her ears. She looked up, and the object from your pocket had already been drawn.

Her eyes widened and her heart stopped for a moment, freezing her in place. You felt a wicked grin slide onto your face before you broke into a run, heading straight for her. Her instincts kicked in and she scrambled to her feet, racing deeper down the alleyway while clutching the young animal to her chest. You chased after her, feeling a wild thrill in your heart. She wasn't faster than you, and you caught up to her as soon as the alleyway ended in front of her.

The kitten was dropped to the ground, howling loudly. Its white fur was soon stained.

Your face, hands, and clothes were dyed the same sweet vermillion color as well, and it was warm. Panting, you stopped, all the good feelings now gone from you. You took one long look at the cat, the color dripped childishly from your cheek and your fingertips, and the wicked grin slid back into place as you cocked your head to the side.

X

"Why are you crying? What is wrong, my love?" you asked through the window, watching Kiku again.     

You twirled a lock of soft hair through your fingers absentmindedly and one of the many kittens mewed before realization hit you and you pouted. "Oh, it's this one," you exhaled. You glanced over at the pile of hair on the table before looking back at Kiku.

"I guess you didn't like your present after all. I thought you liked cats." Dropping the curtain, you let out a sigh. You wondered why your present distressed him so much. It was just the little kitty that woman found on the street the other night, and a picture of her in a black frame. Thinking about it now, you smiled to yourself. Hadn't you thrown incense and a burner in there as well?

I wonder what she is doing now… You let out a laugh.

Reaching up and tearing a photo with her in it off the wall, you grabbed a lighter in your other hand, flicking it on. Your lips curled into a smile as the image shriveled and turned to ash in the dancing flames.

Soon. Very soon, now that she was out of the picture. You could have a complete collection.

X

Frowning, you stood in front of the door to Kiku's apartment. A brand-new security camera was staring down at you.

Guess he's getting paranoid, you sighed. Those blaring headlines must have gotten to him. "Bloody body found in back alley," they screamed. "Criminal leaves almost no evidence - still at large."

You guessed you did clean up rather well. Not like you had much practice.

If it wasn't the headlines, it must have been the presents. You stared down at the neatly wrapped cardboard box in your arms. Everyday, you left a present just for him at his doorstep. Nothing much, really. You were actually running out of things to give him as the amount of kittens prowling around your apartment grew less and less.

But now he would know it was you. Not good, not good, not good. You admitted the two of you didn't know each other too well, you never went out for coffee or anything together, but you were sure he knew where you lived. And that was far from good.

Then you smiled.

If he would figure it out anyway, you might as well tell him and invite him over. Placing the present at his doorstep, you pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. You used the wall as a surface to write before showing to to the camera with a big smile before running off.

Hello, Kiku! So, it's been me who's been leaving you presents. Don't you like them? Sadly, this will be the last of them. Instead, I'm inviting you over! You know where I live, right? My address is on the box if you don't. Saturday at five, alright? You're coming, no exceptions! I'll be waiting for you, love!

X

Saturday, five o'clock. Kiku would be here any minute as you wandered aimlessly and nervously. One hand gripped the skirt of your dress while the other wound through your hair. You had wanted to look nice for him, doing your hair and makeup and putting on your best dress. You hoped you looked like the kind of girl he liked.

A knock sounded on the door and you gasped, rushing over before glancing through the peep-hole. Good. It was Kiku.

You opened the door slightly and peeked out shyly from behind it.

He looked weird. Odd. Terrible.

His eyes, empty as others liked to call them, now really were lifeless. You never saw them and thought of them as empty, they were just deep and stoic, like him. But now, they were undoubtedly hollow. Dark circles were traced under his eyes, and even his mouth formed a small frown. His usually perfectly neat hair was mussed and messy. His clothes were wrinkled and stained.

He looked dead.

This wasn't the man you were used to seeing.

Something shifted inside of you a little; a weird ache bit at the pit of your stomach. You squirmed a bit before reminding yourself that it still was him, even in this weird state. You loved every last side, bit, and part of him, no matter what.

You smiled at him, opening the door wider and inviting him inside the dark apartment.

He bowed, took off his shoes and handed you a bouquet with a forced smile. You took it, looking down at it sadly before showing him through the apartment.

When the two of you walked by your wall covered with pictures of him, he just stared. You didn't care. He was here now, he actually came. He wouldn't be so impolite as to run out on you, he brought you flowers. The two of you continued through the small apartment.

"Rotten woman," you heard him mutter as you led him into the living area. Your picture collection had extended into here, too, spilling and cascading down the walls. You froze, but quickly brushed it off with a forced laugh.

"Oh, these?" you giggled,blushing and kicking aside old, yellowing yaoi mangas. "Sorry about that! I don't have too much time to clean, so it gets like this a lot," you said, pulling a flower vase from a hutch and filling it with water at the sink. The apartment was small and all the rooms were connected after the initial entry hall. Starting to hum, you cut the stems and carefully arranged the lovely flowers in the vase.

"Look, Kiku! Isn't it so pretty?" you sang happily, cradling it in your arms and spinning around to show him.

"Yes. It's beautiful," he replied after a minute of lifeless staring in a numb monotone, barely looking at the vase.

The smile slipped from your face. "Hey, Kiku, aren't I pretty?" you asked uncertainly.

"Yes. Beautiful."

"Don't you love me?" you ventured.

"Yes."

"Say it," you demanded.

"I love you."

"In your language?"

"アナタはだいすき," he replied numbly.

Your face fell and you reached up a hand, running it along the side of his face. He flinched, but you didn't pull back, pushing your palm to his cheek.

"Oh, sweetheart, that's such a cliché," you sighed, stepping closer to him. "You know things like that aren't satisfying. They just make me sick, right?"    

He was uneasy. At least he was showing some kind of response. "Then, what would be satisfying?" he asked, his voice cracking a little.

"Something more dramatic. Something you would have said to that precious pretty girl of yours."

He stiffened and his eyes went wide.

"ワタシはアナタを、永遠  愛してる," you cooed, wrapping your other arm around his neck and toying with his hair. "Something like that."

With a sharp gasp, something in his eyes snapped. He grabbed onto your arms, shoving you away and throwing you off of him. You landed harshly on the rock-hard floor, your head slamming against the solid wall. Pain shot through you from every part of your body. Your head felt like it could explode as you forced your eyes open.

Kiku was standing above you, something glinting in his hand. Your vision was fuzzy and black around the edges. His arm raised, and lowered, the glint becoming a blur of silver.

Through the pain, on instinct, you dodged. Something cool and sharp sliced the side of your arm, and hot blood came pouring out.

Your eyes snapped wide and you lost control of yourself.

X

You are panting. You still can't see straight. Your vision is fuzzy, eyes clouded in deep vermillion. It splatters the walls, pools on the floor, stains your hands; the sweet color.

All you can hear now is your heart beating wildly in your ears. The beautiful melody of his voice is long gone, and you're lost without it.

All you can feel is the box in your arms.

The scent of iron is overpowering. You can smell something disgusting, too. Retching on the floor, you pull the box closer, wrapping yourself around it. It's all you have left.

Kiku's not here anymore.

Your only support in the sea of sweet crimson.

You start laughing insanely. "It can't be stopped. Because I love you this much, see?"

Prying open the box that is stained and dripping scarlet, you laugh harder and cry, "See? アタシはアナタを、永遠  愛してる!"