There was warmth.
Not the warmth of the sun or a blanket—but of stillness?. Clean sheets?
My eyes blinked open slowly.
White ceiling. Soft lights.
I was... alive?
For a moment, i just lay there, chest rising and falling too fast. My last memory was water. Cold, endless water swallowing me whole.
My throat burned. My limbs felt heavy. But i was no longer drowning. So it's not a dream....ok is this that 7 minutes theory but why am i seeing this instead of handsome man's
Eheh?
I turned my head. A small, sterile room. Medical monitors. A drip in my arm. I was in a hospital?
Was i rescued?
The door creaked.
A man walked in, tall with disheveled purple coloured hair and a white coat. Doctor? With purple hair? Who in the world dye their hair purple as a doctor? Is he sane? I can't take him seriously now.....
His expression was unreadable, but there was curiosity in his eyes while i had a weird reaction because of his appearance
"You're awake," he said softly, walking toward me. "Can you speak?"
I hesitated, then croaked, "Where am I?"
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he took out a notepad. "Do you remember your name?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Y/N. Who are you?"
"I'm Dr. Kazuki," he replied. "You were found unconscious in the river."
"Which river?"then it hit me oh no yeah i remember i fell into one in tok-
He paused. "The Kamo River. Here in Kyoto."
My stomach twisted. "Kyoto? That's not possible. I was in Tokyo. Last night. I—I jumped into the Sumida River.".did i came in Kyoto floating????
Dr. Kazuki studied me. "Miss, you were found just outside the city three days ago."
My breath caught. "Three days?"...But it doesn't make sense
There's no way i came in Kyoto floating nearly 500 km no fuckinggg wayyyy that's impossible man....
My eyes darted to the corner of the room—and froze.
A calendar.
October 23rd. 2007.
I laughed under my breath. "Who the hell keeps a 2007 calendar in 2025?"
Dr. Kazuki tilted his head. "What do you mean 2025?"
I stared at him. "That's the year. It's 2025. I just—how can it be 2007?"
.....
His eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of suspicion behind the calm. "Miss y/n... you said you were from Tokyo, but our records don't show you arriving anywhere in Japan recently."
"I live here!" I snapped, then stopped myself. "I mean—I did. I have been in Kyoto few times already but for vacation...I'm not lying."
Silence stretched between us
Then he gave a slight nod—and left the room.
He is insane
Moments later, two men came in. One old and stone-faced with a staff wait his beard which was funny cause they were too long. The other, younger, tense. They looked like they belonged more in a dojo than a hospital.
The old man's presence made my stomach twist.
The younger man spoke first. "You said you're from 2025?"
I nodded.
The old man didn't look surprised rather he gave me a look like i finally lost it..Just suspicious. "Who sent you? Are you a spy?"
"What?!" My voice rose. "What the hell are you talking about?! I don't even know where I am—this is a mistake—". I was panicking
Then another figure entered the room. Calm. Collected. A little too relaxed for the tension in the air.
Messy hair. A notebook in hand. Sharp, unreadable eyes.
"I'll take her," he said simply.
They turned to him. "This is not your—"
"She's with me," he repeated. "Isn't that right?"
I looked at him, stunned. "I've never seen you in my life—"
He smiled faintly. "Let's keep it that way."
The old man hesitated—then slowly waved his hand. The guards stepped aside.
I was pulled to my feet. Atleast let me take some rest Dude
"What the hell is going on?" I hissed at the stranger.
He leaned in. "Just walk. And maybe they won't decide you're an enemy."
He led me out of the room, out of the building
Only once we were far enough did i rip my arm away from him. "Who are you?!"
He looked at me with quiet amusement. "Call me Akutami."
And in that moment, nothing made sense.
Not the year. Not the city.
Not the strange people who looked at me like i was something foreign.
And certainly not the man claiming to know me in a place i didn't recognize.
The man who claimed to be with me walked with quiet confidence, leading me through the narrow, dimly-lit corridors of the strange old hospital well now that I think about it it's maybe not a hospital . The flickering bulbs above hummed faintly, casting the uneven light across peeling walls and outdated signage in kanji i barely recognized. My footsteps echoed against the floor as i struggled to keep up, glancing back nervously in case someone attack me from behind.
"Wait—can you just tell me what's happening?" I snapped, "Who the hell are you? Why did you say I'm with you back there?"
He stopped walking and turned to me..His expression was unreadable—calm, but not cold. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his dark coat. "I said I'm with you," he repeated slowly, "because if I hadn't, they wouldn't have let you leave that room."
I blinked . "That's not an answer."
"You're right." He smiled faintly, almost apologetically, and started walking again.
Frustrated, i followed. Outside, the air hit me like a wall. Crisp and cold. The scent of pine and damp earth clung to the breeze. Kyoto. It felt like Kyoto, but it wasn't the Kyoto i remembered. Something was... quieter. Older more traditional.The place looked untouched by time.i have been in Kyoto quite a few times since my aunt live here
"I don't understand," i murmured, eyes darting around. "This place... it doesn't feel the same."
The man didn't respond at first. He led me to a narrow path that branched off into what looked like a neighborhood, though none of the houses had any modern signage or even satellite dishes. Everything was off, like a dream?
"I need to know where I am. When I am,?" i muttered, stopping abruptly.
He looked back at me. "You still think this is a dream?"
I opened my mouth to respond—but paused. Am i? My body still ached. My heart was still racing. My mind was alert, confused, and exhausted. Everything felt too real.
"I don't know," i whispered. "I just want to go home."
The man looked at me for a long moment, then said quietly, "You were brought here for a reason."
I narrowed my eyes. "What reason? And by who?"
He hesitated, just for a second, then said, "Let's just say... you were supposed to die that night."
I froze. "What?"...he know?
"The river. You jumped," he said, turning away again. "You were supposed to drown. But you didn't."
A cold weight settled in my chest. The memory of the predator's smirk. The sound of the water roaring in my ears. The terror that had gripped me so completely i had chosen death over what he might have done.
"So... what? I cheated death, and now I'm here?" My voice trembled.
He gave no answer.
I stared at his back, jaw tightening. "You're not making sense! Who are you?"
He stopped walking again and turned to face me fully.
"My name is Akutami," he said simply.
The name meant nothing to me. Just a strange name on top of an already strange day. I stared at him, confused, waiting for more. But he didn't explain.
I crossed my arms, suddenly very aware of how alone i was here. "Okay,Akutami. Why don't you start explaining what the hell is going on before I lose my mind?"
He looked at me again—this time, a faint glint of something unreadable in his eyes.
"All in time," he said softly. "You'll see the veil lift soon enough."