Resignation of Hope

Year: 2027... I think. No one's entirely sure anymore.
Date: I've lost track of days, though I know it's summertime, probably a Friday.
Name: Nozomi.
Age: I think 17.
Residence: Apartment 113 in building C of the old apartment complex in Shibuya.
Situation: Mass Chaos.

It's interesting actually remembering something, isn't it?

It was definitely the summer of 2027. I remember that day. It was the day everything changed. I don’t really know much about myself. I mean, yeah, I know what I look like – pale skin (though not looking like I’m dead), black hair, steel gray eyes, relatively thin figure, decent clothes (consisting mainly of the black t-shirt with a Japanese character on it in red and a pair of jeans that I wore most often).

My most distinctive feature? Probably the tattoo on my arm. I don’t really know what the symbols mean, but I’m always being told they mean “Resignation of Hope”. I suppose that’s what my name came from.

Well, kind of. I came to Shibuya on the back of a truck with nothing but the clothes on my back – literally. I don’t remember a thing before that – who I am, where I came from, what it is I’m supposed to be doing in this fucked-up world.

What’s so bad? Well, many years before I can remember anything, probably before anyone else remember either, we met the apocalypse. No one knows what really happened or what caused it, but we all agree on one thing: everything went right down the shitter from there. Whatever sort of order or society we may have had before is and has been gone. In the ensuing chaos, nine factions rose up, each making their bid for power.

Personally, I don’t care much – or rather, I didn’t until that day. It started off normal. I got up, showered and dressed, had breakfast courtesy of my caring neighbors. And then… All Hell broke loose.

One explosion can do so much. A single explosion can take down an entire building, kill 3 and a half dozen people, send many more screaming in terror… And bring three warring factions out of hiding.

Upon hearing the deafening bang from my living room, if you could call it that, I ran. I ran out the door, down the steps and onto the streets. The only words in my head were “What the hell is going on here?!”

My question was answered sooner than I would have liked. More bombs went off – one of them apparently on wall of the building I just ran out of. Rubble came tumbling down on top of me. I instinctively threw my hands up in defense – only to find myself not crushed, but holding the half-ton of brick and mortar up like a light box.

“Hey! You!” came the smooth voice I would come to recognize as belonging to Major Roger, right hand to the leader of the Grand Kingdom’s army, General Perez. I tossed the building piece to the side as walked up to me.

“Not bad,” he said. “Major Roger Cook. Look, I hate to ask, but, mind giving us a hand? There’s some kind of insurrection going on and we’ve got to catch them before they hurt anyone else.”

“Uhh… I don’t know. Let me check on my neighbors, good friends of mine. If I can, I’ll find you when I’m done.”

“Thanks,” he hollered as he ran off. I sighed and headed off elsewhere, unsure of what to do. But apparently, Roger wasn’t the only one that saw my little stunt.

“Yo!” a boy probably a year older than me called, dropping down next to me. “Saw what you did back there. Name’s Zippy. Me and some friends were following some… shifty characters we know when all this happened. We’re gonna try and save who we can. You up for it?”

I’ll say one thing about Zippy: He doesn’t waste time with words. He always gets right to the point. “Yeah, sure, but first I need to find someone, make sure they’re alright.”

He was more understanding than I anticipated. He told me to go do what I had to do, and he’d catch up with me. He bounded off, jumping to the roof of another building. But I had barely made it three steps when that same building popped like a balloon. A chunk of the wall came a me. I took a chance and punched the damn thing. My fist went clean through it. I felt impressed with myself. But I couldn’t waste time on sentiments – because that’s when I met… him.

“Hehheh. Not too shabby, girly.” He said with his rough voice. “You could put quite a hurtin’ on this town. If you want, meet me down by the statue and I’ll give you some pointers.”

And like that, he was gone. I didn’t know what to think. He was probably one of the people Roger was looking for. I wanted to stop those fuckers from demolishing my home. Then again, I always did hate being bound to one place and dependant on others. Maybe that bomber kid could make things interesting. But I will admit I’d grown fond of some of the people here. I felt somewhat obligated to help them…