JJK: Hourglass - CH1

Title: A Rocky Start.

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was a high ceiling, then the hard and slightly cold floor underneath me, followed by the smell of coal. It took me a few seconds to realize I wasn’t home.

Confused, I bolted up in surprise, taking in my surroundings.

The last thing I remembered was… going to work, and… then nothing.

My head felt like it was shrouded in a dense fog, making it hard to think or remember anything clearly, the more I tried, the more elusive clarity became. The disconnection between my last memory and now felt… off.

“Where am I?” I wondered out loud. Apparently, I found myself in a humble square wooden house. Japanese looking for that matter, paper sliding and all.

The question now was, how in the hell had I ended up here. As far as I know, there isn’t anything like this anywhere close to where I live, and seeing I’m not one for heavy drinking, I can’t find a plausible reason for waking up here.

Had I been kidnapped?

I mean… that was a possibility, but who would kidnap me? There wasn't much of a ransom in that.

Unless… oh no.

Panicked thoughts raced through my mind as I frantically began checking myself for any signs of scars. My hands trembled as they moved from my abdomen to my back, expecting at any moment to find gaping wounds or stitches.

Sure, there wasn’t a lot of money to be made if someone asked for a ransom for me, but there was some cash in the organ market.

The idea was ludicrous, yet fear made it feel all too plausible. I patted down my chest, sides, and even ran my fingers through my hair, half-expecting to discover parts of me missing. But, to my relief, everything was intact, no signs of surgery, no stitches, and no pain, other than the throbbing headache that seemed to pulsate with my racing heart.

“Okay, no organs missing,” I chuckled to myself, relaxing a bit. “That's always a good start to the day.”

“Ah, young man, you are awake!” An old man said, as he entered the room, totally not scaring the crap out of me.

“AHHHHHHH FUCK!”

Ok, he might have scared me a little, but I will never admit that, so your word against mine bitches.

I spun around so fast, in a manly way of course, that I nearly gave myself whiplash.

There, standing in the doorway, was an old man, his expression a mix of amusement and concern as he watched me scream like I'd just seen a ghost, or worse, a bill for unpaid taxes.

"Goodness gracious, young man, there's no need for such language!" The old man tutted, stepping into the room with the grace of someone who definitely hadn't just caused someone else to nearly jump out of their skin.

“Well,” I replied, my heart still attempting to beat its way out of my chest. “You just... surprised me, is all.”

The old man chuckled, a sound that was oddly comforting. “It seems I did more than that. I thought introducing myself before removing any organs would only be polite,” he joked, a twinkle in his eye.

My eyes widened. How long had this old man been watching me?! “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

"Of course," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "It's not every day I find someone panicking about missing organs in my home. Besides, organ harvesting? Really? You've been watching too many late-night movies."

I… have not. Lately.

"Okay, fair point," I admitted, chuckling a bit. "But that still doesn't explain what I'm doing here. Last thing I remember, I was going to work."

The old man's expression softened. "Ah, that. Well, you see, it's a bit of a story. Would you like some tea first? It's quite a tale, and I find everything sounds less alarming over a cup of tea."

"Tea sounds great," I said, I mean it’s not like he will roofie my ass now, he had his chance already, right?

Besides, I was kind of curious to know how I had ended up here, I had a feeling it would be a captivating tale of the unknown.

As the old man turned to prepare the tea, he began talking. “Actually, now that I think about it, it isn’t that much of a tale. I just found you on the street, while a pack of street dogs were peeing on you.”

A pack of what?! Were doing doing WHAT?!

“Say what now?” I asked, one of my eyes twitching.

“Oh yes, I think they were marking their territory,” The old man chuckled, handing me a cup of hot steaming tea. “Thankfully, I was able to drag you away without much problems. I had to take your clothes though, and use the hose to clean you down, but I’m sure you understand, honestly I’m a little surprised you didn’t wake up through it all.”

Oh, that explains the clothes I just now noticed. And why I don’t smell terrible.

The old man chuckled at my expression as he sat down beside me on the floor. “Hey, it could’ve been worse, they could’ve taken a shit on you. Maybe they were about too, luckily I happened to pass by in time. So, what’s your name?”

“My name is….” I started my reply, freezing midway, why? I couldn’t remember my name. The same fog that clouded my last memories… was shrouding that as well. “I can’t remember.”

“That’s okay,” The old man smiled kindly. “I’m sure you just need some time, in the meantime, my name is Hiroshi Tanaka, that’s how westerners introduce themselves right, first the name then the last name right?”

“Yeah” I replied, extending my hand for a handshake. “You can call me whatever until I… figure something out.”

“Will do, Mr. Whatever,” The old man snickered, winking at me. “Until then, feel free to stay in my humble abode, young man, I might not have much, but I am not one to turn those in need away.”

That was… surprisingly kind of him.

“Thanks,” I smiled.

I knew I had no reasons to actually trust this old man, but I also didn’t have any reasons to distrust him, so I might as well be glad for how fortunate I was being in this bizarre situation.

Besides, what's worse that can happen?