-Some Time Ago...-<br/><br/>Tears streamed down her face. How could this have happened? The doctors... the doctors said she was doing fine... recovering, even... This isn't fair... this isn't how life was supposed to be! If only they had responded... if only they had responded sooner. The young girl - barely twenty two - laid her head across her crossed arms on the bed before her, struggling to contain the tears... hell, who was she kidding? She was an inch away from a mental breakdown. Her whole world had come crashing down on top of her, and she couldn't figure out why she - of her family - was the only one to survive. "Marie..." She whined, lifting her head enough to lay eyes upon the stone-cold corpse before her. She sniffled, wiping salty tears from her eyes.  "...come back to me..." She mumbled, barely staying sane.<br/><br/>Her family had been in an accident, their car's windshield wipers had failed one stormy night, and in the blinding, driving rain, her father had driven off the road and down a sheer cliff-face. It was supposed to be a family vacation: travel the country and see everything that it had to offer... the only thing it had shown them was how cruel and sudden life could be. Her mother and father had died instantly in the crash... the lucky ones... leaving her and her sister as the only survivors. However, even that proved too kind a fate for the young girl, as even if her sister had survived the initial crash, they had gone days before anyone would find them. What little supplies they had, her sister had given to her so that she might survive... she didn't know how bad off her beloved older sister was until they had been rescued. She was malnourished and gravely injured; a fact the elder hid from her younger behind fake smiles and hurting eyes. Malnutrition, several fractured bones and what proved to be the coup de'grace for the nearly thirty year old woman; a fractured rib. They said that she would recover, but in a sick twist of fate, something had further damaged her fractured rib, which eventually broke free and threatened to pierce either her lung or heart: a fatal wound. So... she had made the decision to die with some shred of dignity.<br/><br/>It didn't help the pain in her sister's heart though... somehow she blamed herself. She had one final chance to save her sister: A miracle if ever there was one. A website that promised the 'perfect cosplay'. She had a friend who had used it... and it had changed her life...<em>literally</em>. If they could give someone new memories... they could fix what was wrong with her sister... but alas... she had been too late. And now... now she was alone in the world. '<em>Knock, knock.</em>' A soft knock came to the hospital door. Lifting her head once more and trying to dry her eyes, she acknowledged. "C-come in..." She choked out, thinking it were some doctor. The door slowly opened to a young man with long, dyed purple hair in a very impressive business suit. He held a manilla folder in one hand, and wore a grim frown upon his face. "...can I help you...?" The young man took a seat silently by the door and bowed his head to her in response.<br/><br/>"First... allow me to express my deepest apologies... if only we had recieved your request sooner." He held his hand out to the girl. "I am the CEO of Perfect Cosplay..." A bitter smile crossed the young girl's face. "I know it... may not be something you want to hear but... there is a matter I would discuss with you..."<br/><br/>"Can you bring my sister back...?" She asked, the young man closing his eyes ruefully and shaking his head.<br/><br/>"I can do a great many things, Ms. Wainwright... but bring back the dead is sadly not one. It is... one of my few limitations." He opened the manilla folder. "I know this may not be the best time... but there is still the matter of the application you filled out..."<br/><br/>"How will that help me now!?" She barked, anger filling her heart. "My sister is dead!"<br/><br/>"I can help... by easing your pain." The girl calmed, sitting back down. "One of the things we do at Perfect Cosplay is create the<em>perfect</em>cosplay experience... and this extends to your every-day life. We do more then just provide costumes and a physical overhaul... we provide whole new lives. Of course, the memories and lives of the character you wish to become does... of course... begin to overwrite who you were..."<br/><br/>"...is there a rest-stop between now and the point...?"<br/><br/>"The point is... if you are willing to take up your sister's contract - which was approved - we can provide you with not only the ability to sustain yourself... but also a way to - if you choose - suppress your memories..." A pause. "As well as provide a... 'second chance', if you will..."<br/><br/>"...second chance...?"<br/><br/>"You loved your sister... didn't you? It's why you sought us out... to save her." She nodded to him. Closing the folder, he placed his hands on his lap. "Would you be willing to take up your sister's contract? We have a... person who has joined our ranks, and in order for the cosplay experience to be... well... 'perfect'... they are want for an extra... a little sister." The woman blinked.<br/><br/>"...what would happen to me?" The man answered her question with a flick of his wrist, procuring a picture of one Ruby Rose - expertly drawn by the master artists of DeviantArt - and handed it to her. "...hm...?"<br/><br/>"Accept your sister's contract... become the woman in the photograph... and you will have a sister." A beat. "I must say that she will not be the one you have lost... as I said that is out of my power... but I can promise you that she will love you just as fiercely... and protect you just as much. You will... of course... have to be set back... oh... five years or so." He smiled. "No one ever complained about getting a little younger."<br/><br/>"Aside from that... what do I have to do...?"<br/><br/>"Traditional Perfect Cosplay contract would state you would be employed by us for a period of three years but... as your situation is special... there will be no contract. You will be paid a standard stipend of one hundred dollars a week, and you will be allowed to visit every convention your new sister will be going to as well. Plus... well... we're rebuilding the world, one anime character at a time. I'm sure you'll find it agreeable." The young woman stared at the photo, a pair of tears rolling down her face. Looking up, she nodded.<br/><br/>"...I'll do it... I'll do it, and I won't fail her... whoever she is..." The man nodded gently and polite to her, pleased at her response.<br/><br/>"Most excellent. Now..." He held his hand out to her. "Take my hand..." She did so, the man's blue eyes flashing crimson. "...and sleep, to awaken to a new world."<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>"Ruby?" A voice stirred her from her flashback, Ruby sputtering in place.<br/><br/>"Huhwhowhatchickensandwich!?" She spurted out, staring up at Yang, her hair sopping wet and wrapped in a towel. "Oh, heya Yang. Sorry... spaced out. Enjoy yo bath?"<br/><br/>"I did... did I give you enough time?" Ruby nodded happily.<br/><br/>"Yuh-huh! So, I can't spoil all of it... but you and Sveta should... totally be ready for a night out next Tuesday. Like... more details later but yeah. Be ready."<br/><br/>"'Ready' how?" To this, Ruby shrugged.<br/><br/>"Ah, you know. the usge. Nice clothes, perfume... wallet full'a monster condoms for that magnum dong you got hiding under that skirt." She grinned. "But seriously, def the nice clothes and perfume." A long, deliberate pause as Yang waited for her to finish her sentence. "...and a condom."<br/><br/>"There it is."